A Thousand Miles From Home
by ifyouevercomebackx
Summary: Miley's parents are going through some marital problems, so they shipped her off to Texas to stay with her dad's best friend. However, no matter how much she hates the town, she can't help but grow to love a certain citizen more than she should. NILEY.
1. Chapter 1

**I had planned for this to be up at the start of the week, but I went to post it Thursday night and the entire chapter had gone, so I had to rewrite the whole thing. Hope you enjoy :-)**

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I had no idea what drove my parents to do such a thing to me. I was a big girl and I could handle myself while they 'sorted out their issues'. Heck, I had been doing it for long enough. It was nothing new for me to cook my own dinners and go to bed without saying goodnight to them.

It had been a two-day road trip from New York City to the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. While my parents decided whether or not a divorce was the right decision in New York, they had shipped me off to Texas to live with his best friend Paul and his family.

"You'll be fine," Dad said as he pulled up outside Paul's house.

My mom leaned forward from the backseat and touched my shoulder. "I'll be down here to visit you for Thanksgiving, and your dad's coming down to spend Christmas with you guys. And remember, Miley. No matter what happens, your father and I will always love you."

I rolled my eyes. Well, _that_ was complete bull. If my parents really loved me, they never would have forced me to pack my bags and move from my home and everything I had ever known to Texas, where I knew absolutely no one.

Dad got out of the car and started unloading my bags from the car. "The time will fly and you'll be back in New York before you know it."

"I still don't get why I have to come down here," I muttered.

"We don't want you to have to sit there while your father and I decide what's best for our family."

That was complete bull too. The thing my mother really didn't want me to see was her throwing some plates at my father's head for sleeping with his receptionist while she was away for a weekend with the girls in the Caribbean.

I turned around and looked at the house. I had to admit that it was a pretty cool house. It was like something you'd see in those movies about suburban families with deep secrets that completely mess up their lives, or maybe that was just what I wanted to think. Maybe I just wanted to think that the people I was going to spend my senior year with would have issues that would distract them from mine.

The door opened and a short woman with tight black curls walked out of the house, grinning from ear-to-ear. "I thought I saw a car pulling into the driveway!"

Mom walked over to the woman and hugged her. "Denise! Thank you so much for taking Miley in at such short notice," she said.

The woman pulled back from the hug and walked towards me. "Nonsense! We're delighted to have her join us!" She smiled at me and hugged me. "Miley! I haven't seen you since you were little. I'm Denise. Welcome to Dallas."

I faked a smile. It was Denise's fault that my parents clearly thought I was about seven years old. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Mrs. Gray."

"Oh please, call me Denise."

Okay, the woman didn't seem that bad, but that didn't make me want to go home any less.

"My daughter Demi is delighted to have you staying with us," continued Denise. "She's pretty tired of being the only girl in this house. I guess it gets a little exhausting for her to have four brothers."

Dad came around the car, carrying my bags. "Hey, Denise. Where shall I put these?"

"If you leave them on the porch, I'll get the boys to bring them round to the pool house in a little bit," she replied. She smiled at Mom and I and led us into the house. "When are you coming down here to stay, Tish?"

"I was thinking about Thanksgiving, unless you guys have something else planned."

Denise shook her head. "You and Miley are welcome to spend the holiday with us. Same goes for Billy Ray when he comes down here at Christmas." She sat down at the kitchen table. "Sit down and make yourselves at home. Paul should be here any minute. He's just getting the pool house ready for Miley."

Dad came into the kitchen and sat on my other side, as far away from Mom as possible. He tried to do it as subtly as possible, but he made it obvious that a two-day road trip back to New York with my mom was as much time in close contact with her as he could handle.

The French doors leading out to the back opened and Paul walked in. I recognized him from the many times he had come to visit my dad in the city.

"Paul," Mom said. "It's nice to see you. Thank you for taking Miley in like this."

"It's our pleasure," Paul responded. He sat down beside his wife and smiled over at us. "I'm afraid the main house only has four bedrooms, so Miley will be sleeping out in the pool house with our daughter Demi."

"That's no problem," Dad said. "Miley will also be happy to comply with any house rules that you have."

"There aren't many really. The curfew is eight o'clock on school nights and midnight on the weekends."

I nodded. I didn't really care about a curfew, even though I never had one back in New York. It wasn't like I was going anywhere. My friends and my boyfriend were all back in the city, so it wasn't like I had anything to do or anyone to meet.

"School starts on Wednesday," Denise said. "I can take Miley into the city to get some things on Monday while I'm there with Nick, Demi and Frankie."

Dad nodded. "That would be great. Thank you, Denise."

Denise's gaze drifted to me. "Miley, why don't you go out and check out the pool house? Paul and I would like a word with your parents before they go." She pointed at the doors Paul had come through. "Just go down the porch steps and the pool house is across the yard and on your right."

I walked out the doors and looked around. The pool was large, but their backyard was so big that there was still enough room for the pool house, a lawn, a patio and a large tree with a tree house.

A dark-haired girl peered out the door of the pool house. "You must be Miley!" she called.

I approached her and nodded. "Are you Demi?"

The girl smiled and nodded. "My mom told me to show you to your bedroom once you came out here. Follow me." She held the door open for me and led me into the pool house.

There was a large living room with a small kitchenette in the corner. The living room was decorated in cream and blue colours, and there was a flat-screen TV mounted on the far wall.

Demi stepped forward and led me towards a door on the left. "It used to double as a guest house, but then Frankie was born and we needed an extra bedroom so I moved out here and Frankie got my old bedroom," she explained. "So now it's just me out here. Grandma used to stay out here when she visited, but she moved into a home in Memphis last year."

I watched Demi as she pushed open the door and ushered me in. Demi seemed nice, but I wasn't looking for friends. I had those in New York, and I sure as hell didn't need anymore.

"Well, this is your room!" She smiled at me and looked around the bedroom. It was spacious and decorated in orange and blue. "I hope you like it. My parents weren't sure about whether you would or not, but –"

"I love it," I said quickly.

Demi sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled up at me. "So, tell me about yourself. My dad says you lived in New York. That must have been pretty awesome, huh?"

_Damn this girl talks a lot_, I thought to myself. I forged a smile and nodded. "It was great. I had awesome friends. I went to one of the best schools in the city, and my boyfriend was really amazing."

"Was?"

"Oh, we're still together," I said quickly. "It's just that I'm not sure whether this long-distance thing is going to work out between us. It's not exactly easy to stay together when you'll only see each other via Skype until summer," I explained. I looked away. I had no idea why I was telling Demi, a complete stranger, so much about my relationship with Liam. It wasn't like she even cared.

"I'm sure that it will all work out between you guys," she reassured me. "Anyway, don't worry too much about settling in here. We moved here when Nick and I were about seven, and everyone made us feel like we belonged. Nick, Selena and I will help you make friends and stuff."

"Who's Selena?"

"My best friend."

"And you and Nick are the same age?"

Demi nodded. "Twins. I'm seven minutes older, but he doesn't like to be reminded of that. He thinks that, because he's a guy, he has the right to rule my life or something."

"Where are your brothers now?"

"Frankie's up in his bedroom. Nick is at the gym for football practice before school starts next week, and Joe is out with his girlfriend in the city. Kevin's in South America right now. He and Joe don't start back at college for another two weeks," Demi replied.

I nodded and sat down beside her on the bed. "So, what's the party scene like around here? Back in the city, there was a party pretty much every weekend."

"There are about sixty or seventy kids in our class, and since we live in the suburbs, everyone normally has family at home and so there aren't any big parties until somebody's parents go out of time." She sat up and grinned. "Actually, there's a party at Nick's friend Jack's house tomorrow night. You should come! We can introduce you to everybody."

I pretended to be interested and nodded. I didn't really want to go to some party where I knew nobody but the people whose pool house I was living in, but I thought that it would be rude to turn Demi down when she had been nice enough to invite me.

"That sounds like fun," I said softly. "Sure, I'll come."

Demi clapped her hands excitedly. "Great! I can't wait for you to meet my friends. They'll love you!"

There was a knock on the door. We both looked up and saw Denise at the door. She smiled over at us. "Ah, I see you've met Demi," she said. "Sorry to interrupt you girls, but Miley, your parents are just about to hit the road again if you want to come back out and say goodbye."

Reluctantly, I rose to my feet and trailed after Denise. I didn't care if I never saw my parents again – okay, that was an exaggeration, but they were dumping me in a completely new state where I knew no one but a man in his forties.

My parents were waiting for me beside the pool. Mom's face lit up when she saw me. Dad smiled over at me and held his arms open for a hug.

"We're going to miss you so much, baby," Mom whispered as her and Dad came towards me.

Dad hugged me tightly and murmured, "We know that you're not exactly happy about staying down here, but it really is what's best for now while your mother and I sort everything out back in the city."

I said nothing. Every time I had voiced my opinion on being shipped to Texas when we were still in New York, my parents had yelled at me for 'foul language'. Well, foul actions call for foul language, if you ask me.

Mom kissed my forehead and held my head tightly in hers. "If you need anything at all, sweetie, just call me. Remember, we'll put some money in your account every Wednesday."

I still said nothing. I followed them through the house in silence. I stood beside Denise as they clambered into the car in silence. I watched while they drove away from the Gray's house in silence. There were no words I could think of to voice how I was feeling, so I made the wise decision of keeping my mouth shut.

Their car disappeared from sight, and I felt Denise place her hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, Miley," she said softly. "Let's get inside. The boys came home about ten minutes ago and Paul would like to introduce you."

I followed Denise back into the house, still slightly numb, unable to believe that my parents had basically ditched me in Texas so that they could fight with each other in peace and quiet.

We entered the living room. I saw Demi curled up in an armchair, laughing loudly at the curly-haired boy with his back to me. Paul was sitting on the arm of Demi's chair with a little boy sitting at his feet.

A boy with short dark hair and stubble was in the armchair beside Demi's. He looked up at me and grinned. "You must be Miley."

Denise pushed me further into the room. "Yes. Miley, these are my sons. That's Joe over beside Demi. Over on the floor, that's Frankie. And on the couch is Nick."

The curly-haired boy turned to face me and smirked slightly. His curls were cut short, leaving his vision clear. His deep brown eyes bore into me, watching me as I stood awkwardly in the doorway. He had toned and well-defined muscles in his arms and chest. I couldn't help but notice that he had the fingers of a piano player, long and slender. His hands just looked so soft …

"Hi," he said, his voice smooth like velvet.

"Hey," I said, my voice squeaking slightly.

He smirked again and moved down the couch slightly. "Mom, Miley, come sit with us. We were just talking about the party at Jack's tomorrow night."

"Be home by twelve," Denise warned, joining her son on the couch.

Nick turned to face me and chuckled. "Are you just going to stand in the doorway or are you going to sit down beside my mom and join the conversation?" he teased.

His eyes watched me carefully as I gently sat down between Denise and the arm of the couch. Knowing that he was watching me gave me a weird feeling in my stomach. The last time I had felt that way … I shook away my thoughts and tried to focus on the conversation.

Because the last time I had felt that way … Well, the truth was that the last time I had felt that way had been never, and that thought scared me a little more than it should have.

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**I apologise for any mistakes etc. In order to get this out before school starts again tomorrow, I was kind of rushing. Hopefully you all enjoyed the first chapter, even if it was a tad boring. I promise that things will get more exciting as the story goes on! Please review and tell me what you thought. Thank you x**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm not from Texas. I haven't a clue if there's even a lake in Dallas, haha. Hopefully there is? I'm sorry if there's not. Poetic license and all that. Please read the author's note at the end! It's important :-)**

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I could not believe that I had agreed to attend the party. I looked in the mirror and nervously smoothed out my white lace mini dress. I didn't understand why I was nervous, not when I didn't even want to be attending some lame high school party in Texas while my friends had the time of their lives at Liam's end-of-summer party back in New York.

I had vowed to myself the second my parents drove out of New York that I would keep away from parties and stay loyal to my roots back in the city, but as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I didn't get why I had made such a silly promise to myself.

Demi pushed open my bedroom door and smiled. "You look amazing, Miley. I love your boots!" She leaned against the doorjamb and glanced at her phone. "The party started about thirty minutes ago, but nobody actually shows up for another thirty. We should probably get going soon, though."

I glanced at myself in the mirror and inhaled deeply. My flat black ankle boots combined with the white mini elongated my tanned legs. I had actually styled my hair for the first time in days. My caramel highlights gleamed in the natural sunlight, and two bits of hair on either side of my face had been braided and pinned at the back of my head.

"Let's go," I said quietly. I grabbed my phone from the bed and followed Demi out of the pool house.

"Nick promised to give us a ride to the party, so I guess we'll wait out on the front porch," she said over her shoulder. She marched across the yard, up the porch steps and through the house. "I'm not kidding, the guy takes longer than me to get ready."

I followed Demi out onto the front porch. Together, we sat down on the steps and listened to the singing of the birds and the humming of the bees.

"Selena can't wait to meet you," remarked Demi absentmindedly.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. She's the head of the school welcoming committee, and since our class hasn't had many new kids in a while, she's pretty excited to have someone to show around." She laughed slightly and looked at her electric blue fingernails. "She's pretty enthusiastic about that kind of thing."

The front door opened, and Demi and I spun around. Frankie bounded out the door. He skidded to a halt just behind us. He threw himself down on the step between us and looked at Demi.

"Nick says he'll be down in a couple of minutes."

"He damn well better be," Demi mumbled.

Frankie turned to me and smiled toothily. "You look really pretty, Miley."

I laughed lightly and smiled back at him. "Thanks, Frankie." I glanced at my phone and saw one missed call from Liam. I deleted the entry in my call log and looked back up. "So, when are we getting this show on the road?"

"Right about now."

I looked around and saw Nick standing in the front door. He was leaning one shoulder against the door, his feet crossed. A playful grin was toying on his lips. I glanced down at his plaid button-down and his tan chinos. My gaze drifted back up to his face to find that he was still watching me.

"You were waiting for me, huh, Newbie?" he asked.

"Actually, I just wanted –"

"Yeah yeah, I know. You just wanted to get to the party. I was kidding." Nick tossed his car keys into the air and caught them again. "Well, come on then. I ain't got all night, you know." He led them down the porch steps to his truck.

"I thought we were taking Mom's car," Demi snapped at her twin.

"Mom needed it tonight, so we're stuck with my car, okay?" Nick snapped back. He hopped into the driver's seat and wound down the passenger window. "Come on, then. Hop in."

"It's a two seater."

He rolled his eyes at Demi's comments. "You have been in my car before, Dem. There are two seats in the back. Just push down the front seat and one of you hop in the back."

I opened the passenger door and did as he said. I pushed down the front seat and hopped in the back. "There, one of us is in the back now. Come on, Demi. Get in."

Demi hopped into the front seat beside Nick and pulled on her seatbelt. Nick started the car and reversed out of the driveway.

"I can't believe you're making me drive you two," Nick muttered to Demi.

"How else did you expect us to get there? I haven't got a car, remember? We were supposed to share this one, but of course you take it all the freaking time," Demi hissed.

"I can't have a beer now."

"Why not?"

Nick smirked at his sister and focused his gaze on the road. "Didn't Mom ever tell you to never drink and drive?" He caught my eye in the rearview mirror and smiled slightly. "So Miley, are you excited for the party?"

"I guess."

My eyes drifted down to his forearms, revealed due to the rolled-up sleeves of his button down. His muscles were just so defined, so ripped …

"Miley?"

"Huh?"

I looked up and noticed that Demi was staring at me around her seat. She smiled slightly and giggled. She faced forwards again and crossed her legs delicately.

"I was just hoping that you'd tell Nick a little about Liam. From what you've told me, he seems to be a lot like my brother here."

I glanced out the window and restrained myself from sighing. Nick was the furthest thing from Liam. Nick was rude, obnoxious, arrogant, conceited, bratty. Liam was his exact opposite. Liam was kind, gentle, funny, complimentary, charming.

I thought about my opinions of Nick and bit my lip awkwardly. The truth was that those were all things that I _wanted_ Nick to be. Really, I had no proof that he was any of those things. And as for Liam … Those things were the things that I wanted _him_ to be. If anything, Liam was more selfish and arrogant than I could even have imagined Nick to be. After all, every time I had called since I left New York, he seemed distant and disinterested.

"Liam's nice," I said simply.

"A little more detail would be nice," Nick muttered.

"He's athletic. He's kind and considerate. He has an amazing sense of humour, and he treats me well." My gaze drifted to the passing scenery once more as Nick came closer to the lake.

"He _does_ sound a lot like me," joked Nick.

Demi looked at Nick with raised eyebrows. "Sorry, what? How does a guy who's kind, considerate and funny even compare to you in the slightest?"

Nick pulled up outside a large Mediterranean mansion near the lake and smirked at me in the rearview mirror. "You'd be surprised by how wrong even my twin sister is about me, Miley." He jumped out of the car and pulled his seat down for me. He reached his hand out to me and helped me out. "Come and find me if y'all want to go home."

"Why don't Miley and I just take the keys? Hell, everybody knows that you'll be going home with Selena tonight."

I could have sworn I saw Nick's cheeks redden slightly. He looked up at the house, where the party was raging. He sighed and rounded the car, making his way up the driveway.

"I'll see y'all later on!" he called over his shoulder.

Demi linked arms with me and trailed after him. "No matter what he says, the entire school knows that he and Selena can hardly keep their hands off each other. I think they've had sex on pretty much every date they've been on since she lost her virginity to him two years ago." She rolled her eyes. "Trust me, it grosses me out way more than you'd think possible."

I watched Nick as he disappeared into the house. The butterflies in my stomach had been ecstatically been fluttering ever since he had come out onto the porch. I wanted nothing more than to kill each and every butterfly and get Nick completely out of my system.

"If they've been together for as long as you say, I guess it's kind of cute," I said, more for my own benefit than Demi's.

"You say that now, but just wait until _you're _the one watching The Lion King with Frankie and you can hear your best friend screaming your twin brother's name over Circle of Life," laughed Demi.

I smiled slightly and followed her into the crowd of people. The pounding music threatened to burst my eardrums. We made our way to the keg in the living room. Demi grabbed two cups of beer and handed one to me.

"DEMI!"

Demi turned her head. A petite brunette girl was charging towards her through the crowd, her arms outstretched and a radiant grin spread across her face.

Demi hugged the girl tightly, squealing loudly. She pulled back and smiled at me. "Miley, this is Selena, my best friend." She looked at Selena and grinned. "This is Miley, the girl I was telling you about."

Selena faced me and smiled brightly. "Hi! Welcome to Texas. Nick and Demi have told me so much about you," she said cheerfully. She gave me a quick hug and grabbed a cup of beer from beside the keg. "How are you liking Dallas so far?"

"It's nice," I replied. "I miss New York a lot, but Dallas definitely isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Well, at least you didn't move to some town in the middle of nowhere. Luckily you're still in a city, even if it isn't the Big Apple," she replied. She turned to Demi and furrowed her brow. "Where's Nick? He said he was driving you guys here and that he'd meet me out front but I went out there and I just saw the car."

Demi smiled slightly. "Don't worry about him. You know Nick, always wandering off."

Selena's smile faltered slightly, and I noticed a slight look of pain in her eyes. She raised her cup of beer to her mouth and took a large gulp of the liquid. She tossed the empty cup on to a table and grabbed Demi's hand. "Let's dance!" she yelled over the thumping music. She dragged Demi into the centre of the living room and began to move her body to the beat of the music.

Demi leaned in close to me and sighed. "She gets like this at every party. He disappears for an hour or two, she gets drunk, they find each other at about eleven o'clock. They have a quickie in Nick's truck and he promises to call her but he never does. It's a vicious cycle, but Selena never learns," she explained.

"If they're dating, why doesn't he call her the day after?" I asked curiously.

"He's weird like that. He has some thing about liking to keep a woman guessing, but at this rate, the only one still guessing about what he'll do next is Selena. By now, everybody else knows he won't call her but will make out with her for at least five minutes next time he sees her." She glanced at her friend, who was dancing and laughing about a metre away. "I worry about the control he has over her, you know? And she doesn't even know it."

I watched Selena. Sure, I didn't know Nick well and yeah, he intimidated me a little bit, but from what I had seen, the chances were that he was upstairs either cheating on Selena or getting high.

Demi leaned in again. "Their entire relationship is pretty crazy. He thinks he can do whatever he wants to her, and she forgives him every single time. He's dumped her, cheated on her, lied to her. You name it, Nick's done it. I'm surprised that –"

Demi was interrupted by the abrupt halt of the music. Suddenly, everyone started yelling and pushing towards the back porch.

I looked around. I had lost Demi in the rush. I followed the crowd and ended up on the back lawn. I frantically searched the yard but I couldn't spot her anywhere. I caught a girl by the elbow and shouted, "What the hell is going on?"

"Cops!" the girl shouted back. She then dashed around the side of the house and out of sight.

I felt someone's grasp around my wrist before I was suddenly pulled through the crowd to the back fence. Whoever was pulling me lifted one of the planks and crawled through, dragging me behind them.

Behind the white picket fence, everything was dark. I couldn't even see who was pulling me to the trees that shaded the house's backyard.

"Who are you?" I asked.

There was no reply. The stranger stopped and pulled me behind a tree. "We have to stay here 'til the cops leaved," they mumbled.

"Who are you?" I repeated.

"Well, there aren't exactly many people you know in Texas. Guess who," the voice snapped.

"Nick?"

"Who else would it be?"

I stared at the faceless silhouette that was pressing me against the tree. Nick, the one person who seemed intent on driving me crazy during my time in Texas, was the last person I thought would save me from the cops.

"My momma's having a hard enough time trying to make you feel comfortable in this town, so the last thing she needs is to have to answer the door to the cops after you get arrested for drinking or drugs or whatever else you've done tonight," he explained.

"I wasn't doing drugs!"

"I thought New York girls were into all that crap."

"Not this New York girl."

I felt his gaze land on me in the darkness. He sighed, and I heard him sit down on the fallen leaves at the foot of the tree trunk.

"I'm guessing we'll be here for a while, so why don't you sit down?" he suggested.

"Why don't we just head back to your place through the woods?"

"My house is in the opposite direction, Miley," he hissed. "And besides, do you really want to go walking through those woods when you can't even see my face, never mind where you're walking?"

I stayed silent. Now he mentioned it, I realized that my suggestion had been pretty stupid. Even a city girl knew not to walk through the woods on a dark night. I had watched enough movies to know to stay put until you could see in daylight.

"How did you like the party?" he asked.

"It was kind of crappy," I admitted.

"These parties always are."

"Then why do you even bother coming?"

I heard him chuckle. "I've got a rep to protect. If I'm not at these parties, people will start talking about me. The only talking I want them to do about me is my performance out on the field, not what parties I go to and what parties I don't."

"Doesn't sound like a good way to live."

"It is what it is."

I sighed and looked around, not that I could see anything in the pitch black. Nick seemed to be the only one that even considered entering the woods behind the party, for it was silent except for us. I faintly heard the cops back at the house. Hearing them only made me even more grateful for Nick's help.

"So, uh, thanks for pulling me back here," I said nervously.

"Like I said, you coming back with the cops leading the way is the last thing my mom needs right now." Nick began to hum a tune under his breath. "Don't be too flattered."

I rolled my eyes. Even when we had been caught up in a police raid, he still found a way to insult someone. I had known him less than a week and he still managed to make me feel like crap.

Even though he made me feel like crap, that silky voice of his made me go weak at the knees.

"You don't beat around the bush, huh?"

"What's the point in that? I won't sugarcoat something to make it easier for someone. In the end, everything hurts as much as it was bound to in the beginning."

I sighed and leaned against the trunk of the tree. "God, you're so freaking cynical."

"Just because all you city folk believe that everything works out for the best if you get a job in one of those fancy New York skyscrapers doesn't make me a cynic. It makes me a realist," Nick snarled.

"Aren't they the same thing?"

Nick chuckled. "Maybe in the big city they are, but down here, I don't think so."

I fell silent and stared at the light that trickled through the gaps between the fence planks, resulting in long lines of light breaking through the shadows of the darkness.

"We should get out of here," Nick said, climbing to his feet. "Demi will be worried about us." He made his way to the fence and peered over. "Looks like the cops are gone." He lifted the plank and stood aside. "You coming or what?"

I clambered to my feet and trailed after him, crawling through the gap between the planks. Seconds later, he joined me on the other side. The house was almost silent now, with only a few people milling around the yard.

Nick led me around the house. He approached his car. Demi was slumped against it, looking panicked.

"Miley!" she screamed. She came running towards us and engulfed me in a tight hug. "Oh my God, I searched everywhere for you! I lost you in the crowd and –"

"I got her out of the way," Nick interrupted.

Demi looked at him. "Selena's in the back seat. She's pretty wasted. You should get her home, like, now."

Nick sighed. "I'm on it." He opened the car door and pulled the seat forward. "Come on, Sel. Sit up. We'll take you home." He glanced at Demi. "Her mom is going to kill her. We can't take her home like this."

"She can stay in the pool house," Demi said quickly. "I'll sleep on the couch, she can have my bed." She hauled herself into the back of the truck and sat down beside Selena. "You're right, Nick. She can't go home like this."

Nick slammed the passenger door, muttering, "The girl's a damn emotional trainwreck." He walked around the car and jumped in the driver's seat.

I tentatively opened the door Nick had slammed and climbed in. "You know, Selena can have –"

"She's not having your bed, Miley."

I sighed and opened the window. The car ride back to the Gray house was going to be a long, long journey.

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**Hi everyone! I know it took me a week or two to update, but I have been so busy lately, and I'm going to continue being busy for the next month to six weeks. Therefore, I'm TAKING A BREAK ****until mid-June. I live in the UK, and I have lots of modules and coursework and stuff to do for my GCSEs. These are really important exams for me, so I'm going to have to take a break. I'm sorry. When I come back, I'll be on my summer break, so I'll have lots more time to write. I apologise.**

**Thank you to xxsm01, Fatimaaaa, jonasluver4ever21, ijustneedyounow, TheMsBrandy1, Simar, Gabby, nileylooover, NickJisoffmychain2828, MissQueenyB, Ellie, YouSaidForever, NileySnuggie and rainbowsandsunshine123 for your lovely reviews. I had some problems with this chapter as it kept getting deleted off my laptop every time the computer crashed and I kept having to restart the chapter, and your reviews really motivated me, so thank you.**

**I'll probably update Crazy Little Dancer Girl one more time before I go on my break, but not this story. I'll speak to you all soon! :-)**


	3. Chapter 3

I had been to my fair share of parties back in New York, but I couldn't remember the last time I had returned home before midnight. Yet there I was in Dallas, Texas, and I was back home before half past eleven.

I lay on my bed, staring at the phone on the sheets, when there was a quiet knock at the door. I looked up and called at whomever it was to come in.

Nick slipped in and shut the door gently behind him. "Hey," he said softly. "I just wanted to say that Selena's asleep on the couch. She was going to stay in Demi's room but she passed out in the living room and we didn't want to move her."

"At least she didn't get into too much trouble at the party, right?"

Nick smiled slightly and nodded. "I guess not." He put his hand on the doorknob and turned his back to me. "I better get going. Goodnight." He turned the doorknob and jerked the door open.

"Hey, Nick?"

He glanced at me over his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"You're a good guy."

"I'd hardly say that," he said with a soft smile.

"You didn't have to drive Demi and I to the party. You didn't have to help me tonight when the cops came. You didn't have to bring Selena here instead of bringing her home, and you didn't have to carry her from your truck to the pool house." I nodded my head slightly and smiled. "You're a good guy."

Nick stayed silent for a moment before turning his head away from me. "Goodnight, Miley."

When he closed the door, I leaned over and flicked off the lamp switch. I slowly slid under the covers and stared at the white ceiling, the room lit from the moonlight shining through the sheer white curtains.

I turned my head and stared at my phone, which was lying on the pillow beside me. The text I had been waiting for from Liam had still not come. I reached for the iPhone and unlocked it.

Scrolling through my contacts, I tapped Liam's name and brought the phone to my ear. At once, his voice echoed in my ears.

"_Hey, you've reached Liam. I'm busy right now and I can't come to the phone, but leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can._"

I heard my own laughter in the background. I had been there the night he had recorded his voicemail message. He had spent over forty minutes trying to record a message that he actually liked, one that he didn't sound like an absolute tool in.

I had only been in Texas for a few days, but I had been on the phone to Liam at least three times each day. However, for the first time since my parents had left town to go back to New York, I didn't feel my heart ache or my stomach clench at the sound of Liam's voice. I found no comfort in the smoothness of his voice or the low tone.

The only emotion I felt was a gut-wrenching regret that I hadn't ended things with Liam before I moved away.

* * *

The following morning, I was woken up by a shriek coming from outside my bedroom door. I stumbled out of bed and rubbed my eyes exhaustedly. I staggered to the door and heaved it open.

"What the hell is going on?" I snapped.

I blinked in the bright light and saw Selena sitting on the couch, sobbing, with Demi comfortingly rubbing her back.

Selena looked up at me. "Oh, thank God you're awake!" she howled. "You will never believe what just happened, Miley."

I raised my eyebrows slightly. I had met Selena about twelve hours beforehand and yet she was speaking to me as though we had been best friends since grade school.

"My mom called. She's pregnant."

I didn't see why she was shrieking and crying over her mother being pregnant. Wasn't pregnancy normally a good thing in a family? I had never met anyone who had been so upset by the idea of a new baby in the family.

"What's wrong with that?"

"By the time this baby is like eight, I'll probably be getting married and having my own kids. My mom was supposed to be done having kids!"

"You're an only child," Demi reminded her.

"Exactly!"

Demi and I exchanged a look. She smiled slightly. She then returned to comforting Selena. There was a knock on the door of the pool house. I walked over and pulled it open.

Nick waved awkwardly at me. "I got Demi's text. What's going on?" He slipped through the door and sat down on the couch beside Selena. "Sel? What's the matter?"

"Not only have I got the worst hangover in the world, my mother was stupid enough to forget to get my step-dad to put on a freaking condom!" she snapped.

He sighed. "Hey, it isn't that bad!"

I didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. Being the new girl in town, I felt like an intruder on some sort of private situation, so I muttered some excuse about promising Denise to help her set up for breakfast and raced out of there.

When I entered the kitchen, I saw Frankie sitting at the table, watching Denise as she fried some eggs. He looked up at me and grinned.

"Good mornin', Miley!"

I smiled slightly and sat down beside him. "Hey, kid. How's it going?"

"We're going to the store later. Is there anything you want?" Denise asked, carrying a plate of eggs and bacon to the table. She put it down in front of her son and smiled at me.

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"Some cereal would be good."

"Take your pick. There's a ton in the pantry." She pointed at the walk-in pantry and returned to the stove. "I would get it for you, honey, but I have to cook breakfast for the boys."

"Oh, don't worry about it," I said with a smile. She was always so kind to me, offering to do simple things like getting my cereal and making me a quick cup of coffee.

"Is Demi awake?" Denise asked.

"Yeah. Selena slept in the pool house after the party last night but she woke up with some sort of problem so Demi and Nick are helping her out," I explained.

"That girl definitely has her fair share of problems. Sometimes I wonder …" Denise trailed off and smiled slightly. "No, it isn't my place to comment." She turned her back to Frankie and I and went back to cooking the food for the boys.

"She doesn't think Selena is right for Nick," whispered Frankie.

"What? Why?"

"Nick's, like, golden boy around here. He plays football and baseball, he runs for like an hour every morning, all the girls love him. He was voted homecoming king last year and he's a shoe-in for prom king." Frankie glanced at his mother's turned back then back at me. "Mom thinks Selena's trouble. She's got these problems with her family that have messed her up a little."

"You're pretty mature for a kid, you know that?"

"I've been told," he replied with a smirk.

"I have a feeling we're going to be good friends, kiddo."

Frankie smiled at me and tucked into his eggs and bacon. "Hey, Mom? Can I have some orange juice?"

"You know where both the glasses and the fridge are, Franklin." Denise stared pointedly at her youngest son. "Go and get it yourself, mister."

"I need a good friend around here," he muttered to me before getting up from his seat and walking over to the fridge.

As Frankie poured himself some orange juice, the porch door opened and Demi walked in, followed by Selena. She was clinging to Nick's arm and laughing as he whispered something in her ear and held her close.

I watched Denise as she glanced over her shoulder at them and pursed her lips slightly. It hit me that Frankie was right. Denise really didn't think Selena was right for Nick.

And as I watched them, I wasn't sure if Nick thought she was either.

* * *

"Where have you been all week?"

"I've been busy."

"Clearly. I tried calling you but it went to voicemail every time."

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed, waiting patiently for Liam's latest excuse. I was getting tired of his reasons for not picking up my phonecalls and not replying to my texts. I had been in Texas for about a week and he had been avoiding me since I left New York.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, but he didn't sound very apologetic.

Talking to Liam felt like a chore since I had moved. Talking to your boyfriend wasn't supposed to be an obligation. You were supposed to enjoy it. You were supposed to miss each other.

"So, you start school today, huh?"

"Yeah." I pushed some earrings through the holes in my ears and slipped on my sandals. "Aren't _you_ supposed to be in class right now?"

"I have a study period first thing."

"Like last year?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

"Because last year, you were still here with me."

I smiled slightly at his words. The emotions I had been feeling towards Liam – that we weren't really a couple anymore, that we didn't miss each other, that he was moving on fast – trickled away. What we were going through was a phase.

"You're sweet," I said with a light laugh. "But seriously, you'll be fine without me. You'll hardly even notice that I'm gone."

"It's senior year, Miley. Why did your parents have to ship you off _this _year?"

I sighed and fastened my charm bracelet. It had been a gift from Liam on my sixteenth birthday. I loved it.

"I know, babe," I whispered.

"I was thinking of coming down to see you soon. Maybe one weekend I could catch a flight down on the Friday and fly back Sunday night," Liam suggested.

"That would be really nice." I smiled and grabbed my bag from beside the door. "I'd love to see you, and there are some people I'd love for you to meet."

I could hear the frown in his voice as he said, "I thought you hated everything down there?"

"Maybe the people aren't so bad," I admitted. "Demi is like the sister I never had, and Denise is such an inspiration. She has five kids and she still manages to be some kind of domestic goddess."

"Can't wait to meet them," he deadpanned.

"You know I miss everyone back home," I assured Liam. "It's just that it's lonely down here. If I don't get along with these people, the next year is going to drag." I glanced at my watch and bit my lip. "Liam, I have to go. Nick is driving Demi and I to school. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Talk to you later," he mumbled.

I hesitated. "I love you."

"Yeah, you too."

Then I heard the quiet click that let me know that Liam was gone. I sighed and slipped my phone into my pocket before walking out into the small living room area.

Demi skipped out of her bedroom and grinned. "We're seniors now!"

I smiled slightly. "Awesome, huh?"

"I can't wait for you to meet everybody."

I silently nodded and followed her across the backyard. The fact of the matter was that I _could_ wait to meet everybody. No matter how hard I had tried to fit into life in Texas in the week since I had arrived, it just wasn't me. I always had been and always would be a New Yorker, and the Dallas suburbs were not where I belonged.

We entered the kitchen and were greeted by Nick, who was leaning against the breakfast bar, watching his mother as she poured him some coffee.

"Good morning, girls," she said cheerfully.

"Hey, Momma!" Demi replied. She nudged her brother and grinned. "Could I get some of that coffee to go?"

"I'm not ready to leave yet," Nick told her.

"And I don't care. We're going to be late, and Miley has to head to the administration office." She took the thermal mug of steaming coffee from Denise and looked at Denise. "Mom, tell him!"

"Demi's right, honey. Miley needs to get her packet from the principal's office," Denise said.

"What does she even need a packet for? Demi and Selena are going to show her around anyway, and not much else comes with that packet."

Denise glared at her son. "Get your keys and go, Nicholas."

He sighed and obeyed his mother. He reached across the counter and grabbed the keys and his phone. "Come on," he muttered to Demi and I before leading us out the door.

"Have a good day!" Denise called, following us out onto the front porch. She grabbed my elbow and smiled. "Have a good first day. Good luck. You'll fit right in."

I smiled weakly. "Thanks," I said quietly. I then clambered into the back seat of Nick's truck and buckled my seatbelt.

"Be warned. Our school is kind of a craphole," Nick said as he reversed out of the driveway.

Demi nudged him. "Shut up!" She turned to look at me and smiled. "The school is not a craphole. Just ignore him. The school is great and the kids are awesome. Granted, some of the teachers are mediocre, but other than the small minority of crappy staff, it's great!"

I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. Since I was a little kid, I had been to school with the exact same kids in New York. I had never been the new kid. Instead I watched as other new kids drifted in and out of the city. I ever expected to have to be the new kid halfway across the country, especially not in my senior year of high school.

"Hey," Nick called to me. "Don't sweat it. This place is pretty easy-going."

I nodded once more and looked away. It sure would be a hell of a lot easier if people stopped trying to reassure me that it would be fine. I didn't need Nick or Demi or Denise to tell me that I'd fit right in or that there was nothing to worry about.

There was silence in the car until Nick pulled up into the student parking lot. He grabbed his bag from Demi's feet and jumped out of the car.

Demi and I quickly got out of the car and walked around to stand beside Nick. I stared up at the detached building and sighed. It was so different to my old school. Back in New York, the school had been the same as any of the other tall brick buildings, blending into the atmosphere, but this school stood out. It was similar in that it was tall and made of red brick. The window frames were painted white and the doors were wide open. It was dissimilar to the buildings around it, all of which were houses painted in various shades of white and blue and green.

"Not so daunting, huh?"

"No, I guess not."

Nick slung his bag over one shoulder and waved at us. "I better get going. I promised I'd meet Selena in the cafeteria before class starts for some coffee. Be here for three thirty or I'm driving home without you."

I watched Nick as he walked away, then turned to Demi. "So, where's the administration office?"

"Come on, I'll show you."

Demi weaved her way through the crowds of people hugging and squealing as some people saw their friends for the first time in weeks. She kept a tight grip on my wrist to make sure I didn't lose her and pulled me up the front steps.

"The first day is always pretty crazy," she commented. "Everybody gets a little emotional. No one really wants summer to end, I guess, but at the same time everyone goes crazy about the fact that they're seeing each other again."

We pushed our way through the crowds blocking the door and entered the school foyer. It was like a crossroads, with three different hallways diverting off the main one.

Demi pushed past the people and dragged me down the hallway on the left. We passed rows of red lockers and red classroom doors. There were already flyers stuck up to notice boards and lockers.

We stopped at the end of the hall outside a floor-to-ceiling window with a door in the middle. The plaque on the door said, '**Administration Office**'.

"I guess this is where I leave you. I can stay if you want me to."

I shook my head. "I'm sure you have to get to your friends. I'll be fine."

"I'll come and find you at lunch," Demi promised.

I nodded and watched as she jogged back down the hallway and out of sight. I then took a deep breath and walked into the office. I walked straight to the desk.

The woman smiled up at me. "Good morning. Welcome back."

"Hello. I'm just starting today. I have to pick up a packet. My name is Miley Stewart," I said.

The woman rustled through some papers behind the desk and pulled out a thick brown envelope. She handed it to me across the table with a smile.

"In there is a temporary student ID, a map of the school, your schedule, some information about the place, stuff like that." The woman glanced at her computer. "You'll have to come down here period four to get your student ID photo taken for your permanent one, but just explain that to your teacher and they'll let you out."

"Thank you," I said with a weak smile.

"No problem. Welcome," she said.

I felt her eyes on my back as I walked back out the door. I pulled a sheet of paper out of the envelope with my locker number and combination on it.

Number 334. I had no clue where that was.

I stopped someone who was passing. "Excuse me, can you tell me where locker 334 is please?"

The boy glanced at me and nodded. "Walk back down to the main foyer and go straight ahead. It's about halfway down there."

"Thank you so much. I'm new here and I'm kind of lost."

He smiled slightly. "Understandable." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Jake, by the way."

"I'm Miley."

"Well, Miley, what's a girl like you doing in Dallas?"

"My parents are going through some issues and thought it would be a good idea to ship me off to live with their friends for my senior year," I mumbled.

"That sucks," Jake said sympathetically. He began to walk with me down the hall. "You know, I think I saw you at that party the other night with Demi. She's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I'm staying with their family."

"Not a bad family. I mean, you've got the school's star football player in the same house," Jake teased.

I laughed lightly. "I guess I do, huh?" We made our way across the main hall, following his directions. "So, have you always lived here?"

Jake nodded. "My family has lived around here for, like, three generations. Everybody's gone to this school since my grandparents met in their freshman year."

"That's so cute!"

"Oh trust me, not when you hear the story every time my grandpa gets a little drunk at Christmas." We stopped outside locker 334. "I guess I'll leave you here."

"Thanks for helping me."

"No problem. If you need anything, let me know."

Jake walked off into the distance. As I watched him walk away, I started to think that this town maybe wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**I'M BAAACK! Did you miss me? Just kidding. Thanks to Cutiepie241840, niley4eva2012, Fatimaaa, lifeswhatyoumakeit101, TheMsBrandy1, Simar, jonasluver4ever21, MissQueenyB, rainbowsandsunshine123, NickJisoffmychain2828 and IWantNiley3.0 for your reviews! Much appreciated x**

**I plan to update my stories every weekend this summer. Unfortunately I'll be away on holiday with my family for three weeks in July so I won't get much updating done then but I promise to update as much as possible before and after that.**


	4. Chapter 4

"How did your first day go?"

I glanced over at Demi as we walked across the parking lot to Nick's truck. The day hadn't gone badly, per se. The kids were friendly and the teachers were good, just as I had been told. However, Dallas wasn't New York and it never would be.

"It was okay," I answered simply.

Demi glanced over at the truck and sighed. "Look who's sucking face yet again."

We approached the car and I finally saw Nick and Selena sitting in the bed of his truck, kissing. Demi cleared her throat but they paid no attention to her not-so-subtle hints.

"Do you think you could keep your hands off my best friend long enough to drive us home?" Demi asked Nick coldly.

Nick finally pulled away from Selena and smirked at his twin sister. "Don't worry, Demetria. I know that you don't have a boyfriend right now, but there's no need to be jealous just because your friend does."

Selena nudged Nick softly and gave him a warning look. "Nick!" she hissed.

Nick smiled at his sister and hopped out of the bed of the truck. "Calm yourself, sis. Jump in the car and I'll take you home now." He turned to look at Selena. "I'll call you."

She bit her lip and nodded with a subtle smile.

"He's not going to call her," Demi mumbled, climbing into the front seat of the truck.

I glanced at Selena and sent her a small smile. If Nick was really as bad a boyfriend as Demi made him out to be then I really did pity Selena. It must have been difficult to be with someone who didn't care about you nearly as much as you cared about him.

I climbed into the back seat of the truck and closed the door. No sooner had I sat down had Nick screeched out of the parking lot.

"Are you insane?" Demi snapped. "What the hell are you driving so fast for?"

"I have plans tonight. The sooner I drop you home, the better," he replied.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my seat. I had seen dozens of movies about the king of the school who thought he could tell everybody what to do just because he knew how to throw a football. Nick was exactly like all of those boys – arrogant, obnoxious, vain. He thought he could speak to his sister like that just because the rest of the school worshipped the ground he walked on.

We soon arrived at the house. Nick didn't even cut the engine.

"Are you two getting out or what?" he barked.

"What the hell is your problem today?" Demi hissed. She got out of the car and slammed the door shut behind her.

I glanced at Nick as he impatiently drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Do you have some sort of disorder or something or are you just an ass?" I snapped.

"Excuse me?"

"How dare you speak to us like that? This past week you've been so nice, but ever since we got into the truck after school, you've been nothing more than a jerk just because you have to take fifteen minutes out of your 'busy schedule' to drive us home," I replied.

Nick turned around in his seat with a smirk. "I'd watch what I was saying if I were you, princess. This ain't New York, and down here you certainly don't get what you want just because you snap your fingers and stamp your feet a little," he said smoothly.

I narrowed my eyes and let out a low growl. "Demi was right. Selena _does_ deserve so much better, because deep down, you're nothing more than a stubborn, egotistical jackass who wouldn't last one second outside of the suburbs."

"That's the thing, sugar. We _aren't_ outside of the suburbs, and round these parts, we don't pay much attention to spoilt, demanding brats from New York City." Nick turned around in his seat once more to face the front. "Don't let the door hit you on the way our, hon."

I jumped out of his truck and slammed the door angrily. I stomped across the yard and up the porch steps.

Demi looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. "What took you so long?"

"I thought I'd give your brother a piece of my mind."

"Was that really such a good idea?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Just because he walks around that school like he owns the place doesn't mean he can talk to his own sister like she's a piece of crap, and I certainly won't stand for him speaking to me like that when he hardly even knows me," I replied.

"Miley, he isn't exactly the kind of guy you want to screw with. In this part of town, he can say one word and the entire world can come crashing down on you," Demi warned.

I glanced at her as I pushed open the front door and smiled warmly at her. "It's a good thing that my world isn't down here then, isn't it?"

Demi slammed the front door and threw her bag on the floor. "Okay, enough!" She stepped in front of her and smiled sadly. "I get that it was difficult for you to move down here, okay? But seriously, you have to stop making it seem like you'll be back in New York before you know it, because you won't. By the sound of things, you'll be staying in Dallas for the rest of the year, so you may as well admit that things aren't going to change anytime soon and start adapting to life down here."

I looked away, not quite sure what to say. I was grateful for her family taking me and putting a roof over my head and food on my plate, but it wasn't her place to demand that I 'adapt'. She had known me just over a week and yet here she was telling me that I needed to accept the way things had worked out.

"I don't …" I trailed off and looked at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that you felt that way."

Demi smiled sympathetically. "Maybe that was too harsh. I was a bitch, wasn't I? God, I'm, sorry. Sometimes I just open my mouth and it all just comes out and I –"

"No," I interrupted. "You're right. I need to accept that I'm going to be down here for the foreseeable future, and I should try to get my head around that before I push away everybody who has even considered being my friend."

She led the way into the kitchen and grabbed two cans of Diet Coke from the refrigerator. "I'm sorry. I don't know you and I don't have the right to make judgments, I know. I just want you to feel like you can settle in here."

I understood where she was coming from, I really did. I just wasn't so sure if I actually wanted to settle in in Texas. I wasn't a Southern girl. I was a New Yorker to the bone. I breathed the sophistication and the maturity of the city, not the sense of community and family-awareness that came with places like this.

Demi turned to me, her smile turning from sympathetic to sad. "I know that you aren't happy here," she said quietly.

"It's not that," I interjected.

"But it is, Miley. You're not happy here, and that's okay. You miss New York and you feel like that's where you belong, and maybe it is. But please, for me, for my mom, will you make an effort to fit in here?"

I watched Demi. I had known her less than a fortnight and she was still treating me like one of her best friends. I had moved into her pool house, eaten meals with her family, driven to school with her brother, eaten lunch with her friends, gone shopping with her. She had opened her arms to me and welcomed me into her life, and yet I hadn't even bothered to repay her by making an effort in her town.

I slowly nodded and smiled slightly. "Of course I'll make an effort."

"A real effort. Not one of those half-hearted excuses."

I nodded once more and took a sip of Diet Coke.

"Now that we've settled that," she said brightly, "I was thinking about Homecoming in a couple of weeks. Do you want to go?"

I contemplated telling her that I really wasn't in the mood to go to a dance with hundreds of strangers, but I just didn't have the heart.

"Of course." I looked over at her excited face and couldn't help but laugh at how joyous the mere thought of Homecoming made her. "So is Homecoming a big deal around here?"

"Oh, it's huge!" Demi exclaimed. "Making the Homecoming Court is, like, the biggest honour you can get at our school. Of course last year Nick was the first junior in about twenty years to be Homecoming King, so he's a shoe-in to win again this year." She sat down at the breakfast bar and glanced at the calendar to check the date. "It's three weeks from Saturday. Think you can find a date by then?"

"I could see if Liam wants to come down and visit that weekend," I suggested.

"Oh my gosh, that would be perfect! I mean, seriously, I've been so excited to meet this guy."

I smiled. At least someone was excited to see Liam, because I certainly wasn't.

"He can't wait to meet you either," I lied.

Demi beamed at me. "So, we should go dress shopping this weekend with Sel. She's so excited. Dances are, like, her favourite thing in the world Oh, and the football game is on the Friday night. That's always awesome. Superstar will be playing obviously, and Selena is cheering."

"I thought you were a cheerleader."

"I was last year, but this year I'm just not into it, so I told Selena that I quit."

"What, is she the captain?"

"Yeah, she got promoted this morning."

I nodded politely and took another sip of my drink. Of course Selena was captain of the cheerleading squad. I mean, come on, what a cliché. She was the perfect all-American girl. She was beautiful, smart (from what I had seen in Chemistry with her that morning), popular, and she was dating the captain of the football team, who just happened to be the perfect all-American boy. Like I said, a cliché.

"So, here's the plan - pep rally Friday afternoon, football game on the Friday night, party at Selena's after then the dance on Saturday night. I'm so excited!"

I smiled at Demi and giggled with her. I had to admit that the idea of Homecoming excited. We never made a big deal out of it in the city. I hated to say it, but I was excited to see if it really was like they made it seem in the movies.

My phone vibrated in my hand. I looked down and saw Liam's name on my screen. I excused myself, made my way out onto the back porch, and pressed my phone to my ear.

"Hey baby."

I smiled at the sound of his voice. "Hey. How was your day?"

"Long. Boring. Tiring. I missed you like hell, Mi. When are you coming back?"

All of our phonecalls involved that sentence. _When are you coming back?_ As if I knew. Hell, I doubt my parents even knew. I was going to be stuck in Texas for the rest of my teenage years if they had their way.

"I was actually going to call you," I said, avoiding Liam's question. "It's Homecoming down here three weeks from Friday. How would you like to come down here and be my date to the dance?"

He hesitated. "That sounds … exciting."

"Come on. We haven't seen each other in forever, and we can even make fun of the stupid Homecoming traditions down here if you want. I miss you and I want to see you," I pleaded.

"I'll see if I can get a flight down," he said reluctantly.

"What, don't you want to see me?"

I heard him sigh and clear his throat. "Babe, don't be ridiculous. You know that I want to see you. It's just that I think Homecoming sounds pretty freaking stupid, that's all."

I rolled my eyes. Of course he found a way to insult the things people did down here. It was the New York way or no way with guys like Liam. Smoking pot in an abandoned apartment apparently made you the coolest person in the country in Liam's eyes.

"Just let me know if you can get a flight. I guess it's okay if you can't. I can find someone else to be my date."

I know it was wrong to basically give him an ultimatum. Come down and be my date or I'll find somebody else wasn't exactly a good offer. I know that it gave him basically no choice in the matter, but what the hell?

"I'll see what I can do."

There was an awkward silence down the line.

"Is this how it's going to be with us now?" I asked quietly.

"What?"

"If I don't give you what you want, if I suggest something that you don't like down the phone, you're going to be in a bad mood with me? God, Liam, you know I didn't want to come down here in the first place, so please stop treating me like it's all my fault."

"I don't want to go to some stupid Homecoming dance with you in the middle of nowhere in the South, Miley. Stop making it into some big drama about how the whole world fucking hates you."

"You know what, Liam? This place isn't so bad, but you wouldn't know that because you're so determined to believe that this place is the worst known to man. Just because it isn't in New York fucking City doesn't make it 'the middle of nowhere'. It's a suburb of Dallas, not the freaking Sahara."

I angrily pressed the 'end call' button on my phone and threw it down angrily onto the wooden porch. I watched as the screen cracked and the back flew off. The battery fell through a gap between the planks and into the darkness below.

"Tough phonecall?"

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Demi standing in the back door. I smiled sadly and nodded.

She sympathetically wrapped an arm around my shoulder and led me down the porch steps. We stopped beside the barbecue and Demi pulled a baseball out of her pocket.

"You just carry matches around?"

She laughed. "No. I heard you shouting down the phone and thought you could do with some therapy once you hung up." She reached over to the patio table and grabbed Frankie's baseball bat.

"What is this?"

She handed me the bat and smiled. She stepped back with the ball and said, "I'm going to throw this ball, and I want you to hit it as hard as you possibly can, okay? I need you to pretend that this ball is Liam's face."

I watched as she gently threw the ball towards me. With all my strength, I hit the ball and watched as it soared over our heads and on to the roof.

"Nice job, newbie."

We both turned and saw Nick leaning against the porch.

"I thought you had somewhere to be," Demi said coldly, taking a step towards her twin brother.

"My plans changed," he replied, not taking his gaze off me. He smirked and sat down on the steps. "You know, princess, I could go and get that ball for you. Frank won't be too happy when he finds out that his new friend hit his ball onto our roof."

I rolled my eyes. "I could totally get that ball myself."

"Really? Prove it."

I narrowed my eyes. This guy was driving me insane with his challenging tone and his demeaning stare. It was like he thought he was better than everybody else in the state just because the school pretty much worshipped the ground he walked on.

"Fine then, I will."

I stormed past him and into the house. I faintly heard Demi snapping at Nick outside, but I ignored them and thundered up the stairs. I dashed up the second flight and onto the second floor.

I saw a door with a poster of Switchfoot and, seeing as the other door had a poster of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I assumed it was Nick's. I barged through the door and went straight to the window.

I yanked the window open and saw that there was a pretty big ledge. I looked down and saw that the porch roof was just above the first floor, so if I slipped, I would land on it.

I looked to the left and saw that Frankie's ball had landed about five feet from Nick's bedroom window.

Slowly, I inched myself out the window and ended up on all fours on the ledge.

I suddenly heard a piercing scream and saw Demi standing beside the barbecue, shaking and screaming. Nick walked over to join her and followed his sister's gaze.

"Miley, what the fuck are you doing up there? You're going to get yourself killed!" he roared.

"I told you that I could get the ball myself!"

"Cut the crap, newbie! You're going to hurt yourself up there! Just turn around and go back into my room," he ordered.

I ignored Nick's orders. Slowly, I started to edge along the ledge, my right arm raised to grab the ball as soon as I got close enough. I could faintly here Demi sobbing uncontrollably down on the ground, but I pushed her cries away.

"Come on, princess. Just take my hand and come back inside."

Nick's voice seemed closer all of a sudden. I turned around and saw that he was leaning out of his bedroom window, his hand outstretched.

"Get away," I hissed.

"Just take my freaking hand!" he snapped. "Please, before my sister dies of a heart attack. Just take my hand and we can forget this whole mess ever happened."

I ignored him and went to move forward, but I couldn't. I turned around and saw that he had a tight grip on my ankle.

"You aren't going anywhere," he growled. "Just get back in the fucking house. This ain't New York, Miley."

For the first time since I had climbed onto the ledge, I looked straight down. I soon realized that looking down was a pretty stupid mistake. I suddenly felt dizzy. My grip on the ledge tightened so much that my knuckles quickly turned white. I found myself shaking.

I distantly heard Nick murmur, "Oh shit."

I felt him tug slightly on my ankle.

"Miley, please just turn around a little and take my hand."

I slowly tried to turn around. Nick's hand was just centimetres from mine. I reached out to grab it. We were so close …

Suddenly I felt like the world was falling away. I had slipped.

I heard Demi scream. I heard Nick yell and almost fall out the window to grab me. I heard the wind in my ears.

I gripped onto the ledge tightly, tears silently streaming down my cheeks. I whimpered softly as I dangled from the top floor of the house, not quite sure how much longer I could hold on.

I saw Nick's face as he leaned out of his bedroom window, a petrified look plastered across his face. I heard his voice telling me from miles away to take his hand and he would pull me in, but I was too scared to risk removing one of my hands from the ledge.

"Trust me! Take my hand!" he yelled.

I whimpered again and looked at his outstretched hand.

"Take my hand!" he repeated.

I gradually loosened my right hand's grip on the ledge and steadily reached out. Nick quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me quickly up from my position. He pulled me through the window and collapsed back on the floor, me landing on top of him.

We both breathed heavily. His eyes were closed as he rested his head on the blue carpet, murmuring quietly to himself.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never should have challenged you or gotten you to think that you had to prove that you had the guts to get Frankie's ball from the roof."

"I was stupid," I said quickly. "I never should have –"

I never got to finish what I was going to say. Demi picked that exact moment to storm in with a face like thunder and a tongue as quick and as sharp as lightning.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you were doing?" she snarled at Nick. "I can't believe you made her go onto the roof to get a stupid baseball!"

"Demi," I said quietly.

"When Mom gets home, I swear to God, Nicholas!"

"When Mom gets home _what_, Demi? I freaking pulled her back inside! I have said I'm sorry to Miley for making her go out there in the first place. Just calm down, alright?" he replied, climbing to his feet.

Demi looked disgustedly at her brother and then smiled softly at me. "Are you coming to the pool house?"

"I'll be over in a sec."

I watched as Demi nodded, glanced at Nick once more, then stormed out of the bedroom. I then focused my attention of Nick and watched him as he bit his lip and began to pace across his bedroom.

I clambered to my feet, still a little shaky from the experience of dangling from the top floor of the house, and cleared my throat slightly.

"Thank you," I said.

Nick simply nodded.

I sighed and made my way to the door.

"Miley?"

I didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

I said nothing in response to his apology.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, this time his voice a soft whisper.

"You're a good guy," I said.

I didn't wait for a response. I knew what he would say. He would say that he wasn't a good guy, that there were things he had done that counteracted all the good stuff. But I knew that bad people didn't pull dangling girls back into buildings, and bad people didn't look alarmed when their challenges went wrong.

Nick Gray was a good person, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

* * *

**Everybody's a little bipolar in this chapter, haha. They go from angry to happy to angry to scared. I wanted to get this chapter up for you guys before the weekend ends, so here it is :-) Please review and tell me what you thought.**

**Thanks to jonasluver4ever21, lifeshwhatyoumakeit101, IWantNiley3.0, YouSaidForever, ijustneedyounow, MissQueenyB, When I'm Afraid (Your review literally made my day! It was honestly like the longest review I've ever gotten), Simar and NickJisoffmychain2828. I really appreciated all your reviews. Please keep on reviewing and letting me know what you think. I love reading them!**


	5. Chapter 5

It was official - I had a crush on Nick Gray.

I never meant for it to happen, of course. I had a boyfriend back home, who agreed to visit for Homecoming after I told him about what happened on the Grays' roof. Maybe it was something to do with seeing him as a hero after he saved me from falling to my death. Okay, maybe not falling to my death, but at least falling to the land of many broken bones.

I watched him from the pool house early on Saturday morning as he swam laps across the pool in the backyard. He looked like he was in a world of his own, gliding through the water with skill and determination.

He pulled himself up out of the water, and I felt myself melt into a puddle on the pool house floor. The water dripped off him in the early morning sunlight, and his muscles flexed as he pulled his toned body up and out of the water.

"Whatcha doin'?"

I jumped and turned to see Demi peering over my shoulder to get a glimpse of what I was staring at.

"Nothing," I said quickly before realizing that I probably said it _too_ quickly.

Demi wiggled past me and saw her brother, a towel around his waist, walking across the lawn and collapsing onto a lounger. She burst into fits of laughter.

"Oh my gosh," she gasped, clutching her stomach. "You totally have the hots for Nick!"

My face turned beetroot. "I do not!"

"You so do."

I glanced out the window. Nick had thrown his towel aside once more and was soaking up the early morning sun, his Ray Bans sitting on his nose and his arms folded across his chest. Even doing the simplest things, Nick managed to look hot.

"I can't believe you like my brother when your boyfriend is, like, ten times hotter," Demi said, bringing my attention back to her.

I held in a laugh. "Trust me, Nick is definitely more buff than Liam is. Liam's idea of a workout is walking up the stairs to his apartment instead of taking the elevator."

"So you admit that you have the hots for him?"

I groaned inwardly and mentally punched myself in the face. Repeatedly. I had inadvertently told Demi that I had a crush on her brother.

"No," I lied.

Demi rolled her eyes and pushed the pool house doors open. "Hey, twin!" she called, poking her head out. She grabbed my hand and dragged me outside. "Do you think Miley's hot?"

Nick lowered his sunglasses and glanced at Demi. "Why are you askin' me?"

"You're a guy. We're going to pick out Homecoming dresses and we were wondering if she was hot enough as it is or if we need to find something that will, like, double her hotness," Demi said, her expression not even faltering as she lied straight to Nick's face.

"I guess she's hot," Nick replied, not even looking at me.

I blushed slightly and looked away.

Demi grinned. I could practically see the cogs turning in her brain as she considered all the things she could do with Nick's revelation.

"Liam's coming down to be her date, you see," Demi explained. "They won't have seen each other in, like, months, so Miley wants to look as hot as she can for him."

Nick's gritted his teeth slightly. "I already told you what I thought, D."

His sister smiled at him brightly. I tugged at Demi's arm and pulled her inside the main house.

"What the hell did you do that for?" I hissed.

"I wanted to see if he thought you were hot," Demi said innocently. "Because clearly you think he is, seeing as you were basically drooling at the pool house doors this morning."

"I can't believe you did that."

"Oh please, as if you didn't want to know."

I watched Demi as she reached up and grabbed her cereal from the shelf. She had changed so much since the day of the incident. She had developed into what I assumed who she really was. Before, she had always been a little reserved, but now she had grown into a fully-fledged version of her.

I then glanced out the window at Nick, who was typing frantically on his phone. I took a deep breath and bit my lip, wondering who on earth he could be texting that quickly.

Demi must be some sort of mind reader, because next thing I knew, she was munching her cereal and said, "He and Selena broke up last night. Again."

I tried not to get my hopes up. "They'll get back together by the end of the week though, right? Frankie told me that that's what they always do. They break up and then they're back together before anybody even realizes they broke up."

"I don't think that will happen. Not this time," Demi said. She paused and thought for a moment, as if deciding whether it was a good idea to disclose the information she had. "Selena said that she's been feeling like second best lately in, like, all aspects of his life. Football comes first, family comes second, and school comes third. She feels like she's way down on his list of priorities."

"Since when? The other day, they looked like they were going to suck each other's faces off!"

She looked up and bit her lip nervously. I could tell by the look on her face that I wasn't going to like what she was going to say.

"About the time you came to town."

My heart was pounding in my chest. Since I arrived, Nick and Selena had apparently been growing apart. She wasn't as big a priority for him anymore, and we all knew from her loud conversations that her mother's pregnancy was driving her insane.

"I see."

"Please don't get involved in all this," pleaded Demi. "Before you know it, you'll have ended it with Liam and started chasing after my brother, but that is not a good idea."

I wasn't going to end it with Liam, not when I still had a chance to sort things out with him. Not when he had made plans to visit for Homecoming, and certainly not because Nick was available.

I opened my mouth as if to say something, but Nick chose that moment to walk into the kitchen, whistling the theme tune for Drake & Josh.

"You do realize that that show ended like five years ago, right?"

"I was watching reruns with Frank last night," Nick commented. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "Dem, have you heard from Selena? She won't take my calls."

"I'm not surprised after what happened."

"She never even let me explain!"

I looked away. Maybe Nick wasn't as over Selena as I had hoped. Maybe it was a little ridiculous to expect him to fall all over me when he had only broken up with his long-term girlfriend the night before.

Demi glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "I'm not having this conversation with you right now." She looked back at her cereal and sighed. "You know where her house is. If you want to talk to her, go and find her."

Nick scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Last time I saw her, she was throwing things. A lot."

"Such as?"

"Anything and everything she could get her hands on."

She chuckled. "Sounds like Selena." She glanced back at me. "So, about Miley and her Homecoming dress. Which is better - sweet or slutty?"

I nudged her and hissed, "Shut up. Now."

Nick looked over at me and observed me for a moment. He nodded and grabbed a bowl, pouring himself some cereal. "Sweet," he replied. He glanced up and smiled slightly. "You don't need to be a slut to get a guy's attention."

I looked away awkwardly, but without looking at Demi, I knew that she was grinning like a child after a visit from the Easter bunny.

"I should go get a shower," I said.

"A few of us are heading to the drive-in tonight. You in?" Demi said.

The drive-in? Who the hell would want to spend their Saturday night at a McDonalds off the highway?

I furrowed my brow and stared at them, confused. "You're spending your night at a fast food place? No thanks."

Nick's mouth twitched slightly as he tried not to laugh. "She means the drive-in movie. They play a movie every Saturday night. Tonight they're playing When Harry Met Sally. It's kind of Dem's favourite chick movie and she's dragging us all out to watch it," he explained.

I mentally slapped myself. Of course they meant the drive-in movie.

"I'd love to come."

"Great, you can ride with Nick."

I looked at Demi. "What, aren't you coming with us?"

"Well, Selena wants me to go in her car with her. Obviously she doesn't want to see Nick right now and we can't exactly have Nick sitting in his truck alone, can we?"

"I can get one of the guys to come with me. Or I could just, you know, not go."

Demi narrowed her eyes at Nick. "You are coming and that is final." She turned to face me. "And as for you – you're riding with Nick, and that is also final."

Nick glanced at me. "If you don't want to ride with me, that's cool."

"No, it's fine." I ran a nervous hand through my hair. "Well, like I said, I better hit the shower, then I need to go and buy a new cell. I'll see you guys tonight."

"What happened to your old one?"

"The battery is kind of somewhere underneath the back porch. I'm due an upgrade anyway." I turned on my heel and began to walk out. "See you later!"

I quickly marched across the lawn and into the pool house, quickly closing the door behind me. I stripped out of my pyjamas and threw them into my bedroom before walking into the bathroom and turning the shower on.

The entire situation was weird. Nick had been weird with me since the party, and apparently he had been weird with Selena since I had arrived. He had saved me from falling off his roof and then had gone back to acting as though nothing had happened. It was too weird.

I got into the shower but I didn't do anything. I just stood under the showerhead, letting the water hit my back. I couldn't get Nick out of my head.

I was so confused. Did Nick like me or not? Not that I was interested. Okay, maybe I was. But I wasn't supposed to be! I couldn't be chasing after Nick when I was still with Liam.

I got out of the shower after washing my hair and padded across the pool house to my bedroom. I shut the door and, not bothering to get dressed, picked up the landline phone.

For the first time since I had left New York, I decided to call my best friend.

"Hello?"

I smiled. "Hey, Lil."

"Well, look who decided to finally call me!" Lilly said. I heard her sigh. "What do you want, Miley? You didn't call me for weeks. I haven't forgiven you for that."

"I need you to tell me something," I said quietly. "I know I haven't kept in touch and I'm sorry for that, but this is important. I really need you to be honest with me on this."

I heard her sigh once more. "What?"

"Has Liam been with any other girls since I left New York?"

Lilly was quiet for a moment. "Why are you asking me that?" she asked quietly.

"I need to know, Lilly."

She was silent.

"Lil, please."

"Okay," she mumbled. "There was this party last Friday night. He was completely wasted, and I saw him making out with that girl Sarah, the sophomore. But it's okay! I confronted him about it and he hardly even remembered it happening."

To me, that was not okay. There I was, thinking about what a bad person I was for even thinking of Nick as hot while Liam was going around, kissing other girls behind my back.

"I can't believe he didn't tell me."

"I wanted to call you about it, I swear! But he promised me that he would tell you. I'm really sorry, Miles."

"This isn't your fault. This is all on Liam." I closed my eyes. "I need to get ready. I have to head to the mall and then I'm heading out with Demi's friends tonight."

"Who's Demi?"

"Paul's daughter."

"Oh right, your mom told me about her!"

"You've been talking to my mom?"

"I wanted to know if I was the only one you were freezing out or if you had stopped talking to her too," Lilly muttered.

"Oh." I felt guilty for stopping my phonecalls to Lilly, but I had been pretty occupied between settling in and slipping from the Gray family's roof while trying to get a baseball.

"So, you better get ready, huh?"

"Yeah. But first, can you promise me something?"

"Of course."

I bit my lip, not knowing if I really wanted to say what I was going to say. "Please can you keep an eye on Liam and let me know if he hooks up with anybody else?"

"Why the sudden interest? You never asked me to do this when you left."

I groaned inwardly. "Lil, I'm out of my depth down here," I whispered. "There's a guy, a really amazing guy, or at least I think he is. I like him, I really do, but there's Liam. I love him, of course I do, but this other guy is stuck in my head and I …" I trailed off and shook my head, even though Lilly couldn't see me. "I need to know how unfaithful Liam is being before I decide what I'm going to do."

"I can do that for you." Lilly took a deep breath. "I'll let you get ready now. But Miley? Please stay in touch this time. I thought I'd lost you when you didn't call like you said you would."

I smiled. "Of course, Lil."

We hung up. I threw the wireless phone onto the bed and lay back, staring at the plain white ceiling.

I knew that Liam had cheated. It hadn't been a surprise, but it wasn't exactly good news. I had Lilly keeping an eye on him. The only thing left to do was decide exactly what I felt for Nick at that damn drive-in movie.

* * *

**I was going to make this an extra long chapter but I wasn't sure if I would get this up for you before I go away for three weeks with my family. In the end I thought an average-length chapter was better than no chapter at all for three weeks. It was a bit boring but I promise that the drive-in movie in the next chapter will be much better.**

**Thank you to all my reviewers – niley4eva2012, Guest, Nileyfanxo, Fatimaaa, ****lifeshwtayoumakeit101, ijustneedyounow, jonasluver4ever21, MissQueenyB, Simar, When I'm Afraid, IWantNiley3.0, rainbowsandsunshine123 and NickJisoffmychain2828****. I was****a little worried that the chapter was overly dramatic, but you all reassured me that it wasn't as bad as I thought, so thank you x**


	6. Chapter 6

f"Miley, we have to go now if –"

I rolled my eyes and stopped listening as Nick shouted through my bedroom door. The movie didn't start until eight o'clock and it was only seven, so I had no idea what he was worrying about. The drive-in was only about half an hour away.

I pulled up my denim shorts, buttoned them and slipped on a pair of brown leather gladiators. I glanced at my reflection and tucked in my shirt before walking out of the bedroom.

"Keep your pants on! I'm ready now."

Nick was sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the wall beside my door. He jumped to his feet and sighed.

"Can we leave now? I've been waiting for about fifteen minutes."

"We can leave but we'll be pretty early."

He smirked at me like I was a small child that didn't know any better. "You think any of my friends will be free to talk to me during the movie? All of them will have their cars locked and a cheerleader in the back seat."

"That's disgusting."

"That's high school."

Nick led me out of the pool house and around the side of the house to his truck. He opened the door for me and slammed it shut once I climbed in.

"You know," I said as he hopped in beside me, "maybe Demi and I would be willing to hang out with you more if you were a little less moody."

He scoffed. "She let you think that _she's_ the one that doesn't want to hang around with _me_, huh? Since we were in the third grade, I've hardly gone out of my way to hang out with her away from the house. It's just the way we are."

Nick reversed out of the driveway and glanced at me. "What, did you think that, because we're twins, we're best friends?"

"No. I guess I just thought that because of Selena –"

"Can we please go one night without mentioning Selena?" he said stiffly.

"She's a big part of your life. I can't just avoid mentioning her."

"Not anymore."

"Someone can't just stop being part of your life in a few hours, Nick."

He looked away from me and bit his lip, signaling that he wanted me to stop talking about her. "Well, Selena just has."

I looked out the window at the straight road again, distracting myself from the conversation. I didn't want to stick my foot in it again and say something that I would regret.

Nick pulled into the drive-in and turned off the engine. "So, what about that boyfriend Demi was telling me about?"

"Liam and I are fine."

"You don't sound too sure about that," he replied.

"I am."

"That's good." He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to his glove compartment. "I'm surprised that he hasn't come down here already to check on you."

"Why would he have to check on me?"

Nick smirked. He turned his face so that it was close to mine and whispered, "Let's just say that, if you were my girl, I wouldn't be stupid enough to let you move across the country."

The Nick I had met on my first day in Dallas was back - just as cocky and arrogant as ever. I wanted to slap him so hard that his annoying expression would fly off.

My breath caught in my throat as he stared up at me with that smirk taunting and mocking me. Before I could speak, he grabbed what he was looking for and jumped out of the car.

I quickly jumped out after him and shouted, "What the hell was that?"

"Calm down," he muttered, coming around the car and leading me to the drinks stand. "I'm just teasing you, princess."

"You can't just do that!"

"Why not?"

"I have a boyfriend."

"Don't get your panties in a twist. It isn't like I kissed you or anything. Just calm down," he said, looking around awkwardly as people began to stare.

"I'm not one of those girls at school that just falls at your feet, you know." I narrowed my eyes in an attempt to intimidate him, but it wasn't working. "I may be new in this place, but I wasn't born yesterday."

Nick laughed slightly. "Okay, Miley, just chill. I was only screwing with you. I offer you my sincerest apologies," he teased.

I rolled my eyes and stormed ahead of him to the drinks stand. There I met Demi and Selena. When I turned back, Nick had disappeared from sight, no doubt because he saw Selena before I did.

"Your conversation with Nick looked pretty intense," Selena said. She intended it to sound conversational but I knew that what she really wanted to know was whether Nick and I had feelings for one another. After all, she had only been single for about twenty-four hours.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just the usual bickering, you know."

"He never bickers with Demi, and she's _actually_ his sister."

"Selena!" hissed Demi. "Don't be so rude!"

I'm sure I heard her hiss something that sounded like, "I thought we talked about this." However, I brushed it off and turned to Demi.

"So what's the deal? Why did we have to come so early?"

Selena scoffed. "Please don't tell me that New York City doesn't have movie theatres either. It's the exact same except you're in a car."

"Didn't Nick warn you about all the hooking up that goes on here?" Demi asked with a smile. "This is worse than the party after the Homecoming game, and trust me when I tell you that it's pretty bad."

"No, he told me that people hooked up during the movie, but not everybody hooks up here, right? I mean, surely there are people who want to spend time with their friends."

"Of course there are. They just don't come to the drive-in. You either come here with your girl friends or else you're hooking up with somebody."

"Okay, I get the whole hooking up thing, but I don't see how that stops you from talking to your friends during the movie too," I said irritably.

"You can't really make out and talk at the same time, can you?"

I glanced around the dozens of cars that had already massed at the drive-in. They were right. Everybody was out of their cars and talking to their friends while the guys eyed up the girls as though they were lions hunting for prey.

"You New Yorkers have no idea what you're missing out on with the drive-in."

"It's the perfect hook-up spot. It's kind of romantic and private but at the same time, you're never completely alone."

I glanced back at Demi and Selena. They were staring at me expectantly.

Selena glanced at Nick, who had appeared again at the passenger window of a Prius parked about one hundred yards away.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered. "Nick is totally going to hook up with Ashley tonight! You guys, look at him. He's completely flirting with her. And as for Ashley, well she may as well have no shirt on at all with the amount of cleavage she's got going on."

Demi followed Selena's gaze. "Sel, go wait in the car. I need to talk to Miley."

Selena eyed us carefully before turning her back and walking back to her own car. Demi waited before she was out of earshot before she turned back to me.

"Are _you_ going to hook up with Nick tonight?"

"No!" I spat, though admittedly I spoke much too quickly, as though I was expecting the question. "I have a boyfriend, Demi."

"And your boyfriend cheated on you back in New York."

I looked at the ground and swallowed the lump in my throat. I wasn't upset about Liam cheating on me. That hadn't come as a surprise and it didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. It was the fact that everyone in New York seemed to forget me so quickly and had moved on as though I had never even been there when, in fact, I had been there a lot longer than some of my friends had.

"Liam didn't –"

"Don't tell me that he didn't mean it, because if he didn't mean it then he wouldn't have done it, would he?" Demi touched my hand. "I know you like my brother. As weird as it is to say it, tonight is your chance to make your move."

"Isn't the guy supposed to make the move?"

"He's been hit on the head with a football one time too many so don't give him that much responsibility," she joked.

"He wouldn't go for it even if I did make a move."

"You never know unless you try."

I glanced over at Nick again. He had moved away from the Prius and had approached a red truck. He was laughing and smiling, causing his eyes to light up.

"I couldn't."

Demi glanced at her phone. "The movie is starting soon. All it has to be is one hook-up. I just know that tonight is your chance to decide what to do about this little love triangle you've got going on, because you seem to be pretty stuck about it." She then turned away and followed Selena to the car.

I wandered silently over to Nick's car and got in the passenger seat. I wondered if it was okay for me to sit there – what if he brought a girl back to make out with him? What if he and Selena decided to give it another shot? What if one of his other single buddies wanted to watch the movie with him?

However, Nick came back to the car alone and climbed in beside me with a bag of popcorn and two cans of Diet Coke.

"I'm hoping you like diet," he murmured, slamming his door and putting the refreshments between us.

"Don't worry, I do."

He glanced at the digital clock on the stereo and sighed. "The movie starts in a little bit. Do you want to go talk to Demi or something? I heard she's hooking up with Greg tonight," he said, making a disgusted face at the thought of his sister hooking up in the back of some guy's car.

"No, it's okay. I talked to them before I headed back here."

"You don't mind watching this movie with me, do you?"

"Not at all."

Nick sighed and bit his lip nervously. "I would watch it with my friends, but they're all with their girlfriends or whatever, and obviously I don't really want to watch it with Sel," he explained.

"You don't need to explain it to me. I have nothing better to do."

There was an awkward silence between us. He sipped from his can and stared straight ahead to avoid my gaze. I picked at my nails nervously and avoided looking up at all, never mind at him.

"I'm sorry about what I said about your boyfriend. It wasn't my place to screw with your head or mess with you. I'm sorry," he said.

"I overreacted."

"You didn't," he replied quickly.

The silence returned. We both stared in opposite directions and waited noiselessly for the movie to be projected onto the large screen.

"So, he's coming down for Homecoming, huh?" Nick asked awkwardly.

"I don't know. He said that he would and I guess I wanted him to, but lately we haven't exactly been what we used to be," I replied.

"What do you mean?"

I bit my lip and stared at my knees, desperate not to see the look of pity he would give me when I told him the truth. "He kissed another girl back in New York. My best friend told me. We hardly even call or text each other anymore, and when we do, it's awkward and it just feels like such a chore for both of us."

"He kissed another girl?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup."

"Miley, you deserve better than some guy who's just going to move on as soon as you're not watching over him anymore."

"Liam's the best I've gotten so far, if you can believe it."

Nick smiled slightly. "I highly doubt that a cheating rat is the best guy you've been with."

"I was with a guy who got arrested at school for selling pot to freshmen. Oh, and there was Jason – he dumped me for my best friend and then told me that he had dumped her for me again when really he hadn't." I laughed slightly. "I don't have very good luck with guys, do I?"

"Miley …"

I looked up at Nick for the first time since we had gotten back onto the topic of Liam and my previous boyfriends. His eyes were filled with sadness and pity. I didn't need his pity. I didn't need anybody's pity.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"You can do so much better than all of these douchebags."

"How exactly?"

He smiled. "I sometimes forget that you can't go into the boys' locker rooms and hear the conversations people have about the hot new senior." He chuckled and looked up at the screen as the opening credits began to roll. "Every guy in school thinks that you're pretty much the hottest thing to walk through those doors since Selena started her freshman year."

My cheeks turned as red as a tomato. "I am not hot." I had been told my whole life that I was pretty and cute and whatever else, but I still turned into a beetroot whenever someone called me hot.

"One guy had to get a _cold_ shower after your gym class."

I burst into giggles. "Oh my gosh, please tell me you're kidding!"

He lifted his hands. "Not a word of it is a lie." He put his can into the drink holder and looked over at me. "The point is that there are dozens of guys here who would gladly date you, and none of them would two-time you or cheat on you or sell drugs under your nose."

"I guess I've been with Liam for so long that I can't really picture being with many other people."

I wasn't exactly lying when I said that. I couldn't picture being with many other people than Liam – that is, except for Nick. But he didn't have to know that little detail.

"I was like that with Selena," he admitted, "but lately I've realized that if something isn't working, you need to move on, whether you're ready to or not." He smiled down at me once again. "You're so far from home. Maybe you just wanted to cling onto one last little thing from New York."

"Liam is 6'3. I would hardly call him a 'little' thing," I teased.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do."

The silence returned, but this time, it wasn't awkward and nobody looked away. We were staring at each other. It was as though, all of a sudden, there was this electrical charge between us, pulling us together. At the same time, we slowly began to lean our heads in. I was just about to close my eyes when …

"Miley!"

There was a knock on the window behind me. I froze in the spot and closed my eyes tiredly. I then turned and saw Jake standing at the window, grinning in at me.

I rolled down the window and smiled weakly. "Hey, Jake. I didn't know that you would be here tonight."

He glanced at Nick over my shoulder and smiled awkwardly. "Hey dude. Did I interrupt something?"

"Not at all," Nick sighed. He leaned back in his seat and stared straight at the large screen showing the movie. "We were just talking. Right, Miley?"

"Yup. Just talking." I glanced between the boys before turning my attention back to Jake. "So, you're a When Harry Met Sally fan?"

"Not exactly. I heard that this girl I like was going to be here so my buddies thought it would be a good idea to come along and try and talk to her."

"How did that go?"

"Pretty good, I guess."

"That's good," I replied.

"I better get going, but before I do, I have a question for you." Jake leaned into the window and smiled softly. "There's a party at one of the lake houses again next weekend. I was wondering if you would be my date."

I bit my lip awkwardly. Nick was right – there really were guys in Texas who were willing to date me. The whole situation just got worse. I had a cheating boyfriend, an unavailable crush and a sweet little puppy dog, all of whom I couldn't say no to.

"That would really be amazing, Jake, but I have a boyfriend."

Jake glanced at Nick again. "Is it him?"

"Oh God, no!" I said quickly, although I couldn't help but wish that it were. "He's back in New York. Things aren't going well at the moment, but it wouldn't be fair to date you while still being in a relationship with him. You get that, don't you?"

"I understand. Give me a call if things end with this guy, okay?"

"I will."

I watched as Jake walked away and then wound up the window. I glanced at Nick, who was smirking.

"Even in Dallas, you still manage to attract douchebags."

I ignored Nick's comment and focused my attention on the movie. The truth was that I knew Jake wasn't exactly my type, but that was the point. I had been attracted to jocks and popular kids my whole adolescent life and none of them had worked out. I figured that, just maybe, it was time to move on to the good guys.

* * *

**I'M BACK! Did you guys miss me? I hope so. Here is the newest update. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your support and your reviews over my holiday. I really enjoyed the break but I am so excited to get back to work on this and my new story.**

**Thanks to jonasluver4ever21, Simar, MissQueenyB, NickJisoffmychain2828, lifesaclimb11, ****NileyFreakk, ****Fatimaaaa, ijustneedyounow, When I'm Afraid, lifeswhatyoumakeit101, , XoXSweetestXoX, iheartniley, niley4eva2012, xLoveKeepsUsKindx and guests. 18 reviews on one chapter is amazing. Thank you all so much!**

**Tomorrow is my birthday. Review as a little present? :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

Things after the drive-in were awkward. After our almost kiss, Nick and I could hardly stand to be alone together without one swiftly leaving the room soon after the other entered. Time seemed to drag whenever Demi tried to start tense conversations between us at the breakfast table.

Days soon turned to weeks and before I knew it, it was the Monday before the Homecoming game. Despite Selena's best efforts, Nick still hadn't taken her back and despite Nick's resistance, Selena hadn't given up.

I had no clue if Liam was going to come down or not. Even though he had said he would, we had hardly spoken since Lilly had told me about his cheating. I assumed that he knew – he'd be pretty dumb not to have worked it out – but he still didn't call me, and I sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to call him, not when I wasn't sure if I even wanted to be with him anymore.

It was a nice day out, so Demi and I made the decision to walk the moderately long distance back to the house.

"What's going on with you and Nick?" she asked. "Things have been weird between you since the drive-in, but I know that you didn't hook up because he told me."

"There's nothing going on."

"That is bull and you know it, Miley."

I hesitated. Telling Demi about how I almost kissed Nick would serve no purpose, but it also wouldn't cause any harm.

"I told you about the cheating thing back in New York, right?" She nodded, so I continued. "Liam and I haven't spoken since Lilly told me, at least not civilly. Lately I've been feeling this … this attraction to Nick, and at the drive-in, I guess we kind of acted on it."

"How does that work if you didn't hook up?"

"We almost did. We probably would have if Jake hadn't come to the window to talk to me," I admitted. I looked away. I didn't want to see the disappointed expression on her face. Cheating on Liam with Nick would have made me no better than Liam himself. "We didn't even get to kiss though, so it's okay."

"I'd hardly call it okay, Miley. You almost kissed him. You can hardly even look at each other now without turning bright red." Demi sighed and shook her head. "I understand that Liam has hurt you and that this move has made you a little vulnerable, but Nick's fragile, even though he may not seem it. Remember that he's only out of a long-term relationship."

"Nothing is going to happen, Demi," I snapped. "We almost kissed and then we didn't. That is the end of it. I am with Liam and that's that."

"If you're with Liam, then why have you hardly spoken in about two weeks? Why can you not speak to Nick anymore? Why do you refuse to even be in the same car as him on your own?" Demi inquired.

The truth was that being in Nick's car reminded me of that night at the drive-in, his breath hitting my lips, his eyes boring into my own as he decided whether or not to act on his impulses. The truth was that speaking to him drove me insane because I had to watch his lips move and think about how amazing it would have felt to have those lips on mine. The truth was that I didn't want to talk to Liam because it would snap me out of the little bubble I was in, thinking that Nick and I had some kind of epic love story like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet or Romeo and Juliet.

"I don't know," I lied.

"Homecoming is this weekend, Miley. You need to decide who and what you want."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have a boyfriend and yet you spend your time drooling over my brother. You complain about Liam's cheating and how distant you are but yet you aren't even bothering to reach out and ask him why he did what he did." Demi closed her eyes. "I really hate saying all of this to you, but you need to decide if you even want a boyfriend before you get involved with Nick and all his drama, and certainly don't bring him into yours."

I stayed quiet and walked alongside Demi in silence, mulling over her words. She had a point. I needed to decide if I even wanted a boyfriend at all, never mind who.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I'll fix it. Tonight, I'll call Liam and –"

"Don't apologise to me," Demi interrupted. "You have no reason to apologise to me. Maybe you should talk to Nick and Liam before you start going around and saying sorry to the wrong people."

We walked the rest of the way noiselessly and, as soon as we entered the house, she raced upstairs to the games room, leaving me alone downstairs.

I entered the kitchen and saw Nick and Denise together, talking quietly. Both spun around to face me when they heard my footsteps. Denise quickly plastered on a smile while Nick looked at anything but me.

"Miley! Good to see you. I hope you had a good day today. Can I get you anything before you start your homework?" she asked, rushing around and plundering through drawers.

"No thanks, I'm good." I glanced at Nick, who was staring blankly at the wall behind me. "I'm just going to head out to the pool house and call home to see how everybody's doing."

"Okay. Well, dinner will be ready in about an hour and a half. I'll send Frankie out to get you when it's on the table."

I felt both their eyes on the back of my neck as I rushed out of the kitchen. I reached for my phone and was already dialing Lilly's number as I walked across the lawn.

"Miley! I have so much to tell you."

"Like what?"

"It's Liam."

"What about him?"

"He wasn't in school today. A couple of his buddies called him and they said that he's packing to head down to Dallas tonight on a red-eye," Lilly explained. "He's coming down to see you, Miley."

I sighed and covered my eyes with my hand. I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to breathe normally. "He's coming tonight?"

"He'll be there early tomorrow morning. Do you think that you can ditch?"

"I probably can," I said reluctantly. I knew that, if Liam was coming down, I had to do the inevitable and break up with him. "And you're sure he's not coming later in the week for Homecoming?"

"He told the guys that he's taking the rest of this week off and flying back on another red-eye on Sunday to get back here for school on Monday."

There was my plan gone. I couldn't break up with him until at least a couple of days before he left, otherwise he would be stuck in Dallas without anybody he knew for the week. I was going to have to put up with him through Homecoming. I knew that he would expect me to ditch all of my classes that week for him, but there wasn't a chance in hell.

"I'll ditch tomorrow to talk to him, but after that he can occupy himself. I have school to go to," I said, my voice strong and commanding yet completely unsure of myself.

"Completely understandable."

"Why not wait until Friday?"

"He said things were too tense as it was and he couldn't leave it like that much longer."

"He's the one that cheated on me."

"Don't pretend like you're completely innocent here, Mi."

I furrowed my brow and flopped down on my bed. "Lil, what are you even talking about? I haven't even looked at another guy." That wasn't exactly true, but Lilly didn't have to know that.

"I've seen your Facebook wall. You were tagged in pictures with all these guys off the football team down there and it really got to Liam," she replied.

"You really did your research, huh? Oh, so I'm not allowed to make friends down here?" I spat. "Demi and Nick's parents took me in. They are my friends. They introduced me to their own friends. I can't help it if Nick is on the football team and all his friends are on the team with him."

"Miley, it's –"

"No, Lilly! I thought you were on my side here. It's hard enough spending my senior year at a different school in a different state. I don't need all this shit along with it," I snapped. "Tell Liam I'll text him the Grays' address."

Then I hung up angrily and threw my phone down onto the bed. I was furious. Liam had cheated on me, yet my friends were trying to turn it around on me? Sure, I had been interested in Nick, but a) he was in some complicated mess with Selena; and b) I wasn't going to purposely act on my feelings when things were still messy with Liam.

There was a gentle knock on my bedroom door. I looked up and saw Demi slip in.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "None of this is any of my business and –"

"Liam's flying down tonight," I whispered. "Lilly said he didn't want to leave things like this and he's coming on the red-eye. He'll be here early tomorrow morning."

"Are you ditching?"

"I don't have much choice, do I?" I looked up at her and bit my lip. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but if your mom asks, can you please tell her I'm not feeling well?"

"Of course. I can cover for you." She sat down on the bed and folded her legs under her. "So, when does he head home?"

"He's getting another red-eye on Sunday night."

"He's here for that long, huh?"

"I guess so."

"And he's sticking around for Homecoming?"

"Apparently."

Demi grinned cheekily and nudged me. "Well, at least you've got a killer dress, right?" When I didn't smile, she sighed. "Come on, Miley. Look on the bright side. This whole drama will be finished soon."

"Selena told me at lunch that things aren't going well with the Nick thing," I said, desperate to steer the conversation away from my relationship with Liam.

"He's not budging. I really do think that he's finished with her this time," she said softly. "Now she's panicking over the fact that she doesn't have a date to Homecoming and Nick's moping around over who-knows-what."

I knew better than to think that the school's football superstar was moping over me, but I found myself hoping that he was.

"They're really done, huh?"

Demi nodded. "I guess you could say I'm conflicted. On one hand, I want Selena to be happy, and apparently she's happy with my brother. But that's the problem – he _is_ my brother, and I don't want him to be with her if it doesn't make him happy anymore. They both need different things to make them happy."

I completely related to what Demi was saying. I had realized since my move to Texas that Liam and I needed different things. He needed an open relationship with a girl who wouldn't care if he kissed other girls while she was miles away, but what I needed was someone who would care so much for me that he wouldn't _want_ to kiss those other girls.

"Around Sel, I feel like I'm walking on eggshells. I mean, how ridiculous is it that I can't mention my brother around my best friend anymore without her completely breaking down?"

I reached out and touched Demi's hand. "I'm sorry that you're stuck in that position, Demi."

"I guess that's what I get for being the sister of a boy like Nick, isn't it?"

We sat in silence for a moment before she stood up. "I really hope that you sort this stuff out with Liam this weekend," she said softly. "You've already been through so much. I just want all this Liam drama to be over for you."

I watched as my friend left my bedroom and closed the door as gently as she had opened it. I glanced out the window and sighed. There were so many things that had to be resolved. Everything had become so complicated. I was still in a relationship with Liam while I had feelings for Nick and yet Jake had feelings for me. Nick and Selena's relationship was way too complicated to get into. I had hardly even settled down in Dallas and already everything was turning into a huge mess.

I got up from my bed and opened the door. I headed to the open pool house doors and hesitated when I heard voices.

"Tell me about Miley."

I bit my lip, recognizing that velvet tone as Nick's. I glanced out the glass windowpane in the door and saw that he was sitting with his back to me, Demi on his right hand side. I moved away from the window and, even though I knew it was wrong, began to listen.

"What do you want to know about her?"

"Anything."

"As you know, she comes from New York. She's an only child. She's into reading and music. She plays the guitar and the piano. She loves watching sports but cannot catch a ball, even if you paid her a hundred bucks." Demi paused, I assumed to think. "She pretends that she isn't, but she's into all that romance stuff – you know, Prince Charming and epic love stories. She loves comedies and concerts. She wants –"

"What's going on with her boyfriend?"

I heard Demi chuckle. "He's coming down here tomorrow and is staying until the end of the weekend. He thinks that things between them need to be fixed ASAP and he wants to be her Homecoming date."

I heard Nick's voice get lower. "If he thinks he can come down here after the way he's treated her and pretend –"

"Nick," Demi interrupted. "I have a question for you, and I really need you to answer honestly." She paused, and I knew that she and Nick were looking at each other. "Did you break up with Selena because of Miley?"

"Of course not. That's ridiculous. That's stupid. That's –"

"True?" asked his sister. "I've seen the way you two have been since the drive-in. Miley told me a lot more of what happened than you did. Why can't you just admit that you have feelings for her?"

"Because I don't!" snapped Nick. "Besides, she has a boyfriend."

"One she wants to end things with."

"It wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"She leaves by the end of the year. Her parents can pick up the phone at any second and tell her to fly back home," he replied.

"Miley wouldn't leave Texas if she had something to stay for."

"And what would she have to stay for?"

"For someone who gets good report cards, you really are slow on the uptake, huh?"

I heard him sigh. My heart was hammering against my chest. I knew that it was wrong to listen in when he was having such a personal conversation with Demi, but I couldn't stop, not now.

"I get it. If we got together, she'd have me to stay for. But God, Dem, I'm so screwed up."

"You're the star football player in our school, Nick. How does that equal being screwed up?"

He groaned in a frustrated manner. "That's the point. Being a football player with that much pressure on me, everyone expects me to make certain choices. They think I want to play football on a scholarship. I don't want any of that. If that's not enough, I just got out of that thing with Selena. I haven't really been with a girl other than Selena in years, at least not properly," he confided. "All I can think about this year is football and the mess I got Selena into. I can't drag Miley down with me, not when she already has so much going on back in New York."

"At least give her a chance."

"To what? To get brought down by me? No, thank you."

"I see the way you look at her."

I heard Nick chuckle slightly. "You saw the way I looked at Selena as well, and look how well that one worked out."

"Miley and Selena are completely different."

"Maybe, but I'm still exactly the same as I was when I was dating with Selena. I hurt her over and over again, Demi. I cheated on her and ignored her and made her feel like I didn't care. I can't do that to any more girls," he said softly.

"Miley is –"

"Enough," hissed Nick. "I'm finished with this conversation." I listened as he scraped his chair against the stonework on the ground and made his way back to the main house.

It took a second to calm my racing heart, but I took a deep breath and stepped out into the backyard. Demi still had her back to me. She looked pensive, as though something was bothering her.

"Hey. You okay?" I asked, making my voice as cheery as I possibly could, but even I knew how fake it sounded.

"Fine," she said distractedly.

I sat down beside her in silence, not quite sure of what I could even say to distract her from my thoughts, mainly because my own head was spinning. The conversation I had just listened to had my stomach in knots and the contents of my stomach nearly splattered across the ground.

Nick felt something for me; that much was clear. And of course I felt something for him. Hopefully things with Liam would be finished by Sunday. But Selena … Things between her and Nick were still complicated, and her wounds were still fresh. What sort of person would I be if I added salt to the wounds by expressing interest in the one person whom she felt nothing but adoration for?

I stared up at the sky and closed my eyes. I remembered that Liam would be in the city in just over twelve hours. It reminded me that the week that followed was going to be a particularly long one.

* * *

**I haven't got much to say in this chapter really. Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, and thank you to SillyyPandaaGirll, wateen, niley4eva2012, lifesaclimb11, Nazifaa, guest ii, Fatimaaa, .Awesome, nickmileyclub, NileyFreakk, YouSaidForever, Simar, When I'm Afraid, dcshoecousa101, NickJisoffmychain2828, IWantNiley3.0, MissQueenyB and jonasluver4ever21 for your reviews. The number of reviews on this story has always gone up and down a little, but to get nearly 20 reviews on each of the last two chapters is amazing. Thank you all so much. **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to keep on reviewing :-)**

**Oh, and that new story I mentioned a few weeks ago - the first chapter should be up within the next week or so, I think. I look forward to hearing your opinions.**


	8. Chapter 8

I lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I waited impatiently for the telltale knock on the sliding door in my bedroom that Liam had arrived through the back alleyway.

There was a gentle tap on my bedroom door, and I looked up to see Denise looking in at me, a cup of coffee and a plate of toast in her hand. She smiled at me and approached the bed, putting her gifts down on the nightstand.

"Good morning," she said quietly. She sat down on the edge. "Are you sure that you aren't up to school today?"

"I'm feeling pretty under the weather," I lied. I felt bad for lying to the woman who had welcomed me into her home with open arms, but I knew that it was better for everybody if I just kept my mouth shut about Liam's early morning visit.

"Demi mentioned that your boyfriend is coming into town this afternoon," she said.

I nodded. Demi and I had decided that it was best to tell Denise that Liam was coming, just not that I was skipping school to see him. I reached for the cup of coffee she brought and took a sip.

"Well, I know that Paul and I have set you and the kids a curfew for being out with your friends, but we've discussed and we've decided that, seeing as you haven't seen him in a while, your curfew can be extended by an hour," she said, smiling kindly over at me. "You should invite him over to dinner tonight."

"Thank you so much, Denise," I said, faking a smile. I wished more than anything that she hadn't extended my curfew. It was the only excuse I had to spend as little time with Liam as possible, as mean as that sounded.

"Come on over to the house if you're feeling better during the day. I'll bring you over some soup at lunch."

I watched Denise leave the room. I then put my coffee back on the nightstand and threw myself back against my pillows again. I closed my eyes, praying that Liam's flight had been delayed or cancelled, anything to avoid seeing him.

Then the knock on the glass came.

I turned my head and saw Liam standing at the sliding door, a grin plastered on his face. There was a large duffle bag hanging from his shoulder.

"It's open," I said weakly.

He pushed the door open. He dropped his bag beside it and headed purposefully towards my bed. He engulfed me in his arms, whispering softly into my ear that he loved and he missed me.

I slipped out of his grasp and looked at him. "Good flight?" I asked.

"It was okay," he replied. He leaned forward to plant a simple kiss on my lips, but I turned my head and he just about caught my cheek. He furrowed his brow, confused, but said nothing. "So, you ditched school for me, huh? I guess I should be proud."

"Lilly mentioned that it was pretty important, and you sounded kind of worried in your text."

"None of this is right, Miley."

I looked away. "I know that you cheated on me, Liam. I can hardly just move past that."

"We've hardly spoken in weeks, Miley, at least not properly. I just want us to go back to the way we used to be back in the city." He clasped my hand desperately in his own and inhaled deeply. "Our relationship was too important to just let it go down the drain."

"Have you even apologized for doing what you did?" I spat.

"I didn't –"

"You didn't _what_, Liam? Think that you had to? Just because I'm not in New York anymore doesn't mean that my friends in the city aren't still my friends. They see things, and those things get back to me. You didn't honestly think you could hide something like that, did you?"

Liam looked at me and bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Miley. I am."

I shook my head and took a sip of the coffee Denise left just minutes before Liam entered. "I met somebody down here."

Liam's eyes flared with anger, with jealousy. "Have you … ?" He trailed off and looked away, clearly unable to even say the words 'kiss' or 'hook up', even though it was exactly what he had done to me.

"No. I haven't done anything about it out of respect for you, not that you deserve any of my respect," I answered. "You didn't even want to come to Homecoming with me. I get it, it's just a stupid dance, but Liam, it was a chance for us to see each other for the first time in weeks."

"I'm here for it now though, aren't I?"

"I think you should go back home, Liam."

"I'm not going home, Miley. Not before you give me a chance to prove how much I care."

"I have no doubt that you're staying, sweetie."

He looked up at me, his expression changed from angry to dejected. "Miley, baby, I love you. I've loved you since we first got together. I can't just let this go, not when I've travelled all this way to be with you." He paused, considering things for a moment. "I'll stay here until Saturday night. If, by the end of the dance, you decide that you don't want to be with me anymore, I'll go back to New York and you won't hear from me until you're back in the city. You'll be free to do what you want with who you want while you're here."

"Liam, that's –"

"That's your only option, Mi, so I advise you to take it."

We sat in silence for a moment. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn't want to meet them. I didn't want to see the look in his eyes. I knew that he already was conscious of the fact that he would be going back to New York a single guy, but I didn't want to see that look of realization in that ever-familiar face.

"I guess your dad's friends are nice, huh?" he asked, desperate to break the tense silence.

"Yeah, they're pretty cool." I think of Paul and Denise and smile. "They've been really great, actually."

"I'll bet Dallas has nothing on New York though, huh?"

"Actually, Dallas is pretty great too," I admitted. "I know that I thought I would hate this place, but it really isn't all that bad. I've made friends here, and I've finally settled into the house and school."

"I see."

"I do miss New York, though," I said quickly.

"Will you visit?"

"Maybe at Christmas or spring break."

The silence settled between us once more. The tension could be cut with a knife. Neither one of us dared to look at the other. I could tell that his eyes were wandering around the room, inspecting my new sleeping quarters. Mine were staring at the now cold toast that Denise had brought in.

"You should probably go and check into your hotel now, huh?"

"I'm staying in that motel a few miles from the high school. You should come and visit," he said softly.

"Maybe I'll come round after school some day."

"I look forward to it," he said with a weak smile.

I watched as Liam rose to his feet and walked over to his bag. He walked back out the sliding door, threw his bag over the back wall that marked the land boundaries, and then proceeded to climb up. He sat on the top of the wall and smiled again. He winked before jumping from the wall into the back alley to avoid being seen by Denise.

I glanced at the spot where Liam had been sitting and sighed. I already knew that the week was going to drag between my obligatory visits to Liam and the preparations for Homecoming at school. I could only hope that it would all be over soon.

* * *

As soon as Nick's car pulled into the driveway, I could hear Demi racing around the side of the main house to get to my bedroom. I heard her burst through the doors of the pool house and throttle into the room, catapulting herself and landing precariously on the edge of my bed.

"How did it go?" she panted.

"He says that he isn't leaving until after the dance," I said softly. "He wants to have a chance to prove himself or something."

I felt like I was in a daydream. Since Liam had left, I had just been lying in bed, oblivious to Denise walking in with soup or tea, blind to Frankie running in to join me when he got out of school.

"Are you still going to break up with him?"

I nod.

"That's probably for the best, huh?"

I nod once more, still staring at the same spot. Since Liam had arrived, I couldn't focus on people. I was distracted by the little things – a fly buzzing around my bedroom, the red stand-by button on the stereo, the fluttering of loose sheets of paper on the desk in the wind.

"Miley, can I talk to you about something? It's about Nick."

I said nothing. Instead, I watched the creases in my sheets, desperate to avoid her gaze. I just knew the look she was going to give me, and I didn't want to see it.

"I think that you and him need to talk. Neither of you seems to want to tell the other how you feel, but you –"

"Not now," I said quietly.

"Miley, you –"

"Not now," I repeated, a little more forcefully. "I haven't even broken up with Liam yet. I don't even want to consider what could happen with Nick before I do."

Demi sat quietly and looked at her hands. "When will you see Liam again?" she asked gently.

"Your mom told me to invite him to dinner tonight, so I texted him after he left."

Demi nodded. "And you'll fix this? Before he goes home. Before it's too late."

"Yes."

"And Nick?"

"We can cross that bridge when we come to it, can't we?"

She rose to her feet and looked down at me, sitting in my bed mutely. "Once you sort this out, things will be better. I promise," she said. "I've been in the position where you want to end things but can't, Miley, and I know that it sucks. I just need you to remember that this will all be over soon, and then you can move on with your life."

I watched her as, like her mother, she drifted out of my room, closing the door as softly as she could behind her. I rolled on to my back and stared at the spinning fan on the ceiling, thinking about how leaving New York was nothing compared to the pain dinner was going to cause me that night.

I knew then that, when Liam arrived for dinner, it was going to be a long and torturous night.

* * *

"Nice outfit."

I glanced across the yard at Nick, who was at the steps to the main house, leaning against the white wooden pillar that held up the overhang. He was drinking from a can of Diet Coke, watching as I left the pool house and closed the doors.

I looked down at my cut-off jeans and white lace strap top. It was nothing special, but for some reason, his compliment set the butterflies off in my stomach.

"Thanks," I replied, remembering that we hadn't really had a full conversation since the drive-in, or since I had heard his conversation with Demi about me.

"I hear that your boyfriend's coming for dinner tonight," he said. I could have sworn that I heard a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Yeah. Your mom told me to invite him, so I did."

"That's really awesome. He's sticking around for Homecoming, huh?"

I nodded. "He's staying until Sunday." I hesitated, then decided that I didn't really care whether what I had to say bugged Nick or not. "I think you two will get along. In a way, you're alike."

Okay, that was a lie. The only thing they had in common was that they knew me. Nick was the school's sports superstar. He was popular and friendly, and everybody loved him. Liam, on the other hand, preferred to smoke weed or go to parties instead of going to a sports game. Sure, he was popular, but for completely different reasons. He was the go-to guy if you wanted to know about the hottest parties.

Nick smirked and took another drink from his can. "Somehow, I doubt that." He glanced over his shoulder. "He must be something special. They're even firing up the barbecue."

"They don't have to do that."

"Apparently they want to."

There was an eerie silence between us. We were like time bombs waiting to explode, both of us willing and ready to say something but neither wanting to be the first to speak.

"At least you've got a date to Homecoming."

"I guess so." I paused again, not sure whether I should ask the question. "No luck with Selena, huh?"

"That's finished and buried, trust me."

I opened my mouth to say something, but I wasn't sure what was left to be said. Luckily, I heard the doorbell ring inside, making us both turn our heads to look.

"I guess that's lover-boy, right?"

"I guess so."

We listened as the front door inside opened and closed. I heard his parents laughing and talking as they led Liam up into the kitchen.

"Miley and Nick are outside, and Demi will be back from the store. Frankie, get Liam a drink, will you?"

I heard Denise's words and closed my eyes. I had about five seconds. Five … Four … Three … Two … One …

"Miley!"

I looked up at the porch behind Nick and saw Liam standing in the French doors, grinning at me. He rushed down the steps and hugged me, lifting me off my feet and spinning me.

I laughed awkwardly. "Hey, Li."

Liam put me back on my feet. "I'm glad to see you out of bed," he said with a wink. He turned around, his arm around my waist, and smiled at Nick. "Hey, man. You must be Nick."

Nick nodded and rose to his feet. "And you must be Liam," he replied, resting his can by his feet and coming down the steps.

Liam shook his hand and smiled. "So you're the guy that's been looking after my girl, huh?"

Nick and I exchanged a glance – of course Liam didn't realize that his comment implied more than what he actually meant it to. He obviously didn't know that Nick was the 'someone else' I had met.

"I guess I am."

"Thanks," Liam said. "I know it was hard for her to move down here, but Lilly said that you and Demi made it a lot easier on her."

Nick looked back at me and nodded. His smile was fake – that much I could tell. "No problem. She's a great girl." His gaze lingered on me a second longer than it sound have, but he turned away when he heard his parents come out.

"Nick, can you help your sister bring in the food?" Paul said, taking a seat at the table.

Nick disappeared inside the house, returning moments later with a grocery bag, Demi close behind him. Paul stood up and went straight to the barbecue with Nick, starting to fire it up.

Demi put her bag on the table beside her mother and approached Liam and I. "So you're the famous boyfriend, huh? We've heard a lot about you." She looked at me and smirked. "You never mentioned how hot he is, Miley."

I blushed slightly, noticing Nick's subtle glance over his shoulder at us. I looked up at Liam, who was grinning down at me, and faked a smile

"I've heard a lot about you too," Liam replied. "Between Miley and Lilly, I've been told that you've become the Texas Lilly."

I immediately looked up at Liam, afraid that he had made the situation awkward, but I heard Demi laugh and calmed down slightly.

"I just wanted to make the move easier on her, you know?"

"That's exactly what I wanted for her. Thank you."

Liam had transformed from the moody, arrogant party-goer that he was both at the end of my time in New York and on the phone to a charming and chivalrous gentleman. It was a miraculous metamorphosis, but I wasn't going to complain.

The food was soon on the table and everybody was in their seats, most people laughing at Liam's stories of the city since I had left. I gathered from stolen glances at Nick that I wasn't the only one that wasn't enjoying myself.

Liam looked at Nick and leaned back in his seat. "So, Nick. Miley has told me that you're quite the sportsman."

"He plays football and baseball, and he's already got full athletic scholarship offers from colleges," gushed Denise proudly. "He's pretty good at swimming and basketball too, but he keeps the basketball for his brothers."

"Wow," Liam said. "You really are something else."

"Well, I guess it's what I like doing," Nick replied.

"All the girls throwing themselves at you?" Liam asked.

"I wouldn't say that."

"Oh, please. It's not hard to see that you're definitely the kind that girls go for. Right, Mi?"

I could feel my cheeks colouring. The conversation was awkward enough without Liam bringing me into it. The worst part was that he didn't even know about Nick and I.

"I don't know," I mumbled. "I guess so."

"Miley mentioned that you have a pretty hot girlfriend."

"Not anymore," Nick answered. He was keeping steady eye contact with Liam, staring him down.

"That went down the toilet, huh?"

Paul cleared his throat. "Let's move on from Selena, shall we?" he suggested. "Liam, would you like some more potato salad?"

"No, thank you," Liam replied. He smirked slightly at Nick and took a sip of water from his glass. "I'm fine over here."

The situation between Nick and Liam was awkward, that much was clear. In an attempt to diffuse the tension, Demi started to crack jokes, but only her parents and Frankie laughed. Nick and Liam were staring each other down like the first to look away would die on the spot, while I was too nervous that they would erupt like volcanoes to laugh at anything.

By the time the meal had ended, Denise, Paul and Frankie had retreated inside, leaving Liam, Nick, Demi and me outside.

"You know, Liam, it's getting late. Maybe you should head back," I suggested, desperate for the night to be over at last.

"That sounds like a good idea," Demi said quickly, her eyes flicking between Liam and Nick. She, like me, was clearly waiting for one of them to explode at the other.

"I think I will," Liam replied. He made sure Nick was watching before he planted a not-so-gentle kiss on my forehead. "I love you," he said. It was something that should have been said intimately, but Liam made it sound like it was some sort of announcement that he was making just to piss Nick off.

I watched as Liam went out the side gate and walked around the side of the house.

"Your boyfriend really is something else," Nick commented.

Before I had time to even think of a response, he was walking up the porch steps and slamming the French doors shut behind him, effectively putting an end to the one-sided discussion.

"Do you think he knows that Nick is the other guy?" I asked Demi as we walked side-by-side into the pool house.

Demi scoffed. "Honey, your little secret is about as hidden as the tension at that table tonight."

I watched Demi walk into her bedroom and buried my face in my hands. The situation just kept getting more and more complicated. Now that Liam knew about Nick, I was pretty sure that the week that followed wasn't going to be an easy one.

* * *

**I start school again in about three weeks, so I'm going to try and update this as much as possible before I get caught up in that. This year is going to be huge for me at school, so there definitely won't be that many updates. I'm sorry.**

**Thank you all so much. The fact that I got over 100 reviews on this in 7 chapters and 21 on the last chapter alone is amazing. Thanks to .Awesome, MnM16, lifeswhatyoumake, SillyyPandaaGirll, Nazifaa, Fatimaaa, emma, wateen, nickmileyclub, When I'm Afraid, XoxSweetestXoX, ijustneedyounow, lifesaclimb11, MissQueenyB, jonasluver4ever21, FABULOUSmarie, Simar, NileyFreakk, IWantNiley3.0, NickJisoffmychain2828 and YouSaidForever. I honestly appreciate every review so much so thank you.**


	9. Chapter 9

As expected, the week of Liam's visit dragged. It felt like a year between the Monday night dinner in the backyard and the Homecoming game that Friday, but as much as the time seemed to drag, the game arrived nonetheless.

I reached the stands at the school football field with Demi and Liam. Demi had moaned about not wanting to be the third wheel, but I couldn't face an entire night on my own with Liam. The longest time we had spent alone since he had arrived had been a couple of hours in his motel room, most of which was spent in awkward silence as we both stared at the television, pretending to be watching but really thinking about how uncomfortable things had become between us.

"That guy Nick is into football, right?" Liam asked.

"Yup," I replied.

"So he's going to be on the field tonight," he said.

"Yup."

Demi leaned across me and smiled at Liam in a friendly way. "You should see him play. Everybody loves him. He's like the celebrity of the school at Homecoming." She looked up at the stands for a seat, and then looked back at the cheerleaders, who were performing their pre-game routine. "You haven't met Selena, have you? Come on!"

Before I could stop her, Demi rushed down the steps to the wire fence that separated the crowd from the field. I felt Liam slip his hand over mine and pull me after her.

"Selena!" Demi yelled.

Selena, who had been taking a water break, looked over and smiled when she saw Demi. She approached the fence and smiled. "Hey, guys," she said. Her gaze drifted to Liam. "So, you're the famous boyfriend, huh?" She smiled at me. "Miley, why didn't you mention how cute he was?"

I seemed to get that question a lot. It was always, "Miley, why didn't you mention how cute he was?" or, "Miley, why didn't you mention what a gentleman he was?" That was because I didn't remember Liam as either well-groomed or a gentleman. As far as I recalled, he was scruffy (but I guess it was kind of in a hot way) and often a sexist pig. Okay, he was a gentleman before I left New York, but not once I started calling from Texas.

"This is Liam," Demi said. "He's here until Sunday to visit Miley."

"Well, Liam, it's great to meet you," Selena said. She glanced over her shoulder at the tunnel the teams would be emerging from in a matter of moments. "Have you seen Nick today? I've been meaning to talk to him about tomorrow night …" She trailed off and bit her lip worriedly.

"Tomorrow night?" Demi asked.

"Well, I was talking to him earlier in Biology about how I still hadn't found another date to Homecoming, so I thought I would try again about getting back together. I mean, what harm could it do, right? And he said he would think about going with me again!" she said excitedly.

"Selena," Demi said, her voice low, "you know that this isn't going to work out well. Don't get your hopes up." She glanced over at me. "Make sure that his intentions are the same as yours before you get all dressed up and excited for this."

Selena didn't even have time to respond, because the band started to play and the other cheerleaders all started to call over to her. She glanced at Demi before jogging over to them and starting in to another routine. The teams then flooded onto the pitch.

"We better get seats," Demi called over the noise. She led us up about ten steps and moved past some people to get to three seats about a third of the way up the stand. "Is this okay?"

I nodded and sat down beside her. Liam sat down beside me and gripped my hand, smiling over at me. I faked a smile and turned my attention back to the field.

Even during the national anthem, I couldn't keep my eyes off Nick. The various padding bulked him up a little bit, not that he needed it. His eyes were searching the stands, and I found myself hoping that he was searching for me in the way I had been searching for him.

His eyes found mine, and he held my gaze for a moment. Then the national anthem ended and he was forced to look away.

I felt my heart pounding in my chest from the minimal eye contact. I made sure not to look at Liam. I simply watched as the game started and the players tackled one another and jumped and whatever else was required in a football game (I wasn't a very sporty person; I wasn't one to understand the rules of football).

Halftime soon came, and judging by the boos from the crowd around me, Nick and the boys weren't doing so great.

"What's going on?" I asked Demi.

"Nick's been off tonight. His throws have been bad and he hasn't been running nearly as fast as he can," she muttered, watching her brother as he talked to his coach on his way off the field.

"Why?"

"He only gets like this when something's bothering him," she said. She looked at me and sighed. "Do you think we can talk?" She glanced at Liam and bit her lip. "Alone."

I turned to Liam. "We're just going to the bathroom, okay? Hold our seats," I said.

Liam nodded. He leaned over and planted an overly wet kiss on my cheek. I waited until I was out of sight before I wiped my cheek with the back of my hand.

Demi grabbed my wrist and led me through the crowd, weaving in and out of the people going for drinks or snacks or heading to the bathroom. She led me behind the bleachers, past the couples that were making out, and stopped at the far end of the stands. She glanced around to make sure no one was listening and then sat down on the ground, crossing her legs and looking up at me expectantly.

I sat down on the ground, pulling my legs up to my chest, and looked back at her. "What's bothering him?" I asked, knowing already that I didn't want to know the answer.

"Don't freak, okay?" she said, which signaled immediately to me that I was going to freak. "But I think it's you."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Nick and I may not be best buddies, but he's still my twin brother, and I like to think that I know him well enough to know what's bothering him and why," Demi explained. "It isn't exactly a secret anymore that he's into you, okay? It's hard for him to see you with Liam. It's difficult to watch Liam hugging you and kissing you and whatever else he does. He didn't mess up a game once for Selena, Miley. He really does care about you, and seeing this whole Liam thing is clearly driving him nuts."

"What am I supposed to do? Liam flew all this way to see me. I can't just ditch him," I said, feeling my frustration growing.

"I'm not suggesting that. What I'm saying is that you and Nick need to have a proper talk. Not an awkward conversation on the back porch like you had the other night. You both deserve better than this," she said.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say to him," I said weakly.

"How about you tell him how you feel?"

"I can't do that," I replied. "Besides, what am I supposed to do about it? Selena is clearly in love with him. I can't just take him away from her, not with the history they have together."

"The only reason they have such a big history is because they can't remember being with anybody else, Miley. When you're with somebody for that long, you forget what it's like to be single and looking for somebody new. They were each other's firsts for pretty much everything, and obviously they both loved each other, but now, I think it's time for them both to move on." Demi shook her head and smiled. "He doesn't love her anymore. Why would he hurt her even more by pretending that he does?"

I understood what Demi was saying. Hell, I was going through the same thing myself. I glanced at my hands and began to fidget with my thumbs.

"I'm ending it with Liam at the bonfire tonight," I said quietly. "I know he wants me to wait until after the dance tomorrow, but I'm done, Dem. This entire visit has completely drained me. I can't pretend that Liam and I are okay anymore."

She nodded. "I knew it was only a matter of time."

We heard the announcement that said the game was about to start up again. We walked back and caught the end of the cheerleaders' halftime routine. We made our way back up to our seats beside Liam and sat down.

"You took your time," Liam said with a weak smile.

"There was a queue," Demi said quickly, smiling slightly at me. When Liam turned his back, she winked and lifted her finger to her mouth.

I smiled and focused my attention on the field once more. The players had all come out once more, but this time, I didn't see Nick as they all adjusted their helmets and got into their positions.

I looked at the bench and saw the tell-tale curls, his head hanging low and his shoulders drooping slightly.

"He's on the bench," I whispered to Demi.

Liam seemed to notice as well. He leaned over me and said to Demi, "I thought you said that your brother was good? He's been pretty crap."

Demi narrowed her eyes. I had learned over the weeks I had known her that she could take any insult you threw her way, but if you insulted her parents or any of her brothers, she turned into the Hulk.

"He's been having some girl trouble lately," she replied with a wicked smile. "See, he's into this girl, but she's got a boyfriend. Now he's just waiting for the boyfriend to clear out of town, you know?"

"Demi!" I hissed, nudging her hard in the ribs.

She didn't seem to notice, because she kept on talking. "I've heard everything that the girl has to say, and really, I don't understand why she hasn't already dumped the guy and gone straight to my brother."

Liam's jaw locked and his expression tightened. "Good story," he grunted, looking back at the field.

"Yeah, bitch, you look away," Demi murmured, clenching her fists and glaring at Liam.

I bit my lip to hold back a laugh, even if I was kind of annoyed that she brought my situation with Nick into her whole Cold War-type squabble with Liam.

I didn't pay much attention to the rest of the game. All I knew was that, when they put Nick on the bench, the standard of our school's team seemed to improve beyond measure.

I finally snapped out of my daydream when the people around me all started to rise to their feet, cheering and talking about the school's win. Demi and Liam were looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to get up and walk to the bonfire with them.

"You guys should start walking," I said casually, rising to my feet. "I actually have to talk to my English teacher about something we did in class today. I'll meet you guys at the bonfire."

Before they had a chance to object, I sent Demi an explanatory look and dashed down the steps and out of sight.

I walked around the back of the bleachers, finally arriving at the side entrance to the school. I pushed the door open and walked down the hallway. People walked alongside me, making their way to the parking lot at the other side of the school, but I turned down a hallway to the locker rooms and waited patiently outside.

The first football player to walk out eyed me suspiciously. "Who are you waiting for?" he asked.

"Nick."

"Want me to get him?"

"Please."

The boy pushed the locker room door open and yelled Nick's name inside. "Nick! You have someone waiting for you, dude." He stepped out again and looked at me. "I take it you're the girl he's been whining over, huh?"

I said nothing. I stared at the locker room door, willing Nick to just walk out and save me from this awkward conversation.

As if by magic, Nick walked out. He had changed into a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt. He glanced me up and down and sighed. "Thanks, man," he muttered to the other player. He nodded at him and watched him walk away. He then turned back to me and raised his eyebrows. "Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend?"

"He's walking to the bonfire with Demi."

"Why don't you go and join them?" he spat, turning around to go back into the locker room.

"You played like shit tonight."

He smirked and shook his head. "How would you know? You don't even _like_ football."

"I can still tell when somebody's playing like shit." I paused and raised my eyebrows right back at him. "Demi seems to think that I'm the problem. Am I?"

Nick said nothing. He glanced over his shoulder and saw two of the guys on the team watching us with smirks. He glanced back at me then walked towards me. "Come with me," he muttered.

I let Nick pull me further down the hall. We stopped about five doors down from the locker room, standing at the students' lockers outside one of the classrooms.

"Do you think this is easy for me?" he hissed.

"Like it's easy for me either?"

"It's okay for you! Once your little boyfriend heads back to New York, you can do whatever you want without having to worry about who's watching or who's going to tell him." Nick ran his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes. "Selena's got her eyes on me 24/7. I can't do the things that you can."

"You aren't even with Selena anymore."

"Maybe not, but she wishes that I was."

I stared at him and shook my head. "You are one of the biggest wimps I have ever met. Why don't you just admit to both me and Selena what's going on here?"

I caught myself on and stopped. I realized what I had said and bit my lip.

"And what exactly _is_ going on here, Miley? Because one minute, you're nearly kissing me in my truck and the next, you're talking about how your perfect boyfriend is coming for a visit," Nick snapped.

"I never wanted Liam to come down here."

"Well, you didn't stop him."

"And you didn't tell Selena that you were never going to take her to Homecoming. Now she's got some kind of plan in her head about how it's going to be the perfect night," I snarled.

"I never once said I was going to Homecoming with her!"

"You told her that you'd think about it."

"I told her that so I didn't turn her down on the spot!" Nick buried his face in his hands. After a moment, he looked at me and sighed. "You really want to know what's going on here?"

"Enlighten me," I deadpanned.

"Ever since you landed your sorry ass in this town, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I ended things with Selena because it wasn't right to stay with her when I was so hung up on you. That night at the drive-in, I wanted nothing more than to kiss you, but that douchebag came knocking on the window." He laughed humourlessly and shook his head. "This entire time, all I've wanted to do is tell you and kiss you, and I hoped that if I did, maybe we could go on a date or something, but seeing you with him this week has made me realize that you will never end things with him."

I stayed silent, staring at him. The strong, obnoxious, arrogant boy who had been living on the same property as me was finally telling me what I wanted to hear, and yet I had no words to describe how I was feeling.

"Why?" I finally choked out.

"Why what?" he murmured, staring right back at me.

"Why me?" I asked, repeating my question.

"You're frustrating as hell, princess, but for some reason, you're getting to me," he replied.

I held his gaze for a moment. My heard hammered against my ribcage. Adrenaline was pumping around my entire body, willing me to just tell him that it was okay, that I felt the exact same way.

I didn't have the chance. Nick stepped closer, cupped my face in his hands, pressed me against the lockers and put his lips to mine.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Sorry about that. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on that ;)**

**Thank you for all the reviews! Thanks to wateen, fallingstar2008, When I'm Afraid, ijustneedyounow, Fatimaaa, JDBFavoriteGurl, lifesaclimb11, .Awesome, SillyyPandaaGirll, NileyFreakk, IWantNiley3.0, jonasluver4ever21, You SaidForever, FABULOUSmarie, Simar, NickJisoffmychain2828, MissQueenyB and nickmileyclub :-) Reviews are, as always, much appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

When you kiss somebody for the first time, people normally write about all of these amazing and spectacular feelings. They talk about fireworks and tingles down their spines and popping their feet. But that kiss with Nick was so mind-numbingly brilliant that I couldn't even process any of those feelings, even if I had felt them.

He lifted his hands from my waist and rested one on the locker behind me, blocking the only escape route I had. His other hand rested in my hair, his fingers lost in the mass of curls. My arms, which had been dangling helplessly by my sides, ran up his chest. My hands landed on his upper neck, my thumbs resting on his cheeks.

I felt like my legs had turned to jelly. They felt like they were about to cave in and end up in a puddle of the floor. Holding on to him was the only support I had but, judging by the closeness of his body to mine, he was relying on me for physical support as much as I was on him.

When I finally needed a bigger breath of air, I pulled back and stared at him, not quite sure what to say. I mean, what _could_ I say after the most intense kiss of my life to date?

"That was …" Nick trailed off and looked away. He lowered his hands and took a step back. "I shouldn't have done that," he said softly.

"You're saying that that was a mistake?" I breathed.

Nick said nothing. He stared at the metal lockers behind me, his lips sucked in and his eyes filled with regret.

I shook my head, tears threatening to surface, and stared at him. "And you had the audacity to say that _I_ was frustrating," I murmured. My voice started to rise along with my temper. "You can't just kiss me like that and then decide that it was a mistake!"

"Miley …"

"Don't," I spat. "Don't even bother."

Before Nick even had a chance to respond, I turned on my heel and began to march angrily down the hallway. With every ounce of strength I had, I willed myself not to turn around because I knew I would crack.

Paul, Denise and Frankie were approaching their car when I passed them in the hall on my way to the bonfire. Denise reached out and touched my arm, a soft smile on her face.

"Miley, honey, are you okay?"

I did what I do best – I plastered a false smile on my face and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just heading to the bonfire. Curfew's at twelve tonight, right?"

"It's Homecoming weekend," Paul replied. "Don't worry too much about curfew."

I smiled slightly and nodded. "I'll see you guys later." I quickly moved past them and walked as quickly as I could down the hallway and out the main doors of the school. I made my way down the street, making it about two blocks before I had to turn left and walk down the beaten old dirt road Demi had told me the bonfire was at the end of.

As promised, I reached the field where the bonfire was being held at the bottom of the lane. Surprisingly, I found Demi and Liam rather quickly.

Liam's brow furrowed slightly when he saw my expression. "Are you alright? You seem kind of -"

"I'm fine!" I snapped, focusing my attention on the roaring flames of the bonfire.

"Tense," finished Liam in a mumble.

I didn't reply. I kept my attention focused on the bonfire, though in reality I wasn't even thinking about the huge fire in front of me. Instead, I was thinking about that kiss in the hallway. My legs still felt like lead and my heart was still struggling to calm down.

Liam soon disappeared in search of a beer. I had gone from standing to sitting cross-legged in the grass, still staring straight at the fire. I hardly even noticed Selena sit down beside me.

"Demi mentioned that you looked kind of distracted," she said. "Aren't you having a good time?"

"I am," I lied.

"Then what is it?"

I could hardly tell her that I had just kissed her ex-boyfriend; the boy who she was hoping would take her to the Homecoming dance. I also couldn't tell her that I had been interested in him since before they broke up.

"I know that we haven't really gotten to connect since you arrived," said Selena, "but I want you to know that you can trust me if you want to talk about it."

"How's your mom?" I asked, remembering the morning in the pool house when Selena had been yelling angrily about the pregnancy.

"She's good," she replied with a slight smile. "My stepdad is taking good care of her, I guess. I overreacted when I found out. I think it was just a shock. I mean, what senior in high school wants a pregnant mom?"

"And your stepdad … He's nice to you?"

To this day, I still don't know why I was asking questions about her family that night at the bonfire. Maybe I wanted to make up for the fact that I had been making out with her ex less than half an hour before our conversation. For whatever reason, I had stopped caring about prying and just let my mouth take over.

Selena nodded. "I call him my stepdad, but really, he's the only father I've ever known." She hesitated. "My real dad was a deadbeat. He went off the radar when I was about seven. He's called a few times." She laughed and shook her head. "When I was fourteen, I even got the pleasure of a visit," she said sarcastically. "When my mom met my stepdad, he took care of her. He took care of _me_. He treated me like his own. I owe him a lot."

"That's really great of him."

She laughed once more and glanced across her shoulder. I already knew who she was looking out for. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this. I'm sure I'm boring you." She looked back at me with a bright smile. "What's going on with you and Liam?"

"Liam and I are complicated."

"So Demi tells me. Will it last?"

"I doubt it."

"Past the weekend?"

I shook my head.

"That's a shame," she said, looking at him across the field. He was talking to Demi and some guys from the lacrosse team. "He seems like quite the catch. If I wasn't so in to Nick …" She trailed off. "You haven't seen him, have you? Nick, I mean."

"No," I lied. I couldn't exactly tell her that I had been making out with him, could I?

"I really need to talk to him about tomorrow …" She looked over her shoulder and swiftly jumped to her feet. "Oh my gosh, there he is! Do I look okay?"

I turned, not answering her question. I immediately found Nick in the crowd. He was standing still at the entrance to the field, staring straight at me. It's odd how he's staring right at me and yet Selena still doesn't even notice. He looks troubled and worried.

"Nick, over here!"

I turn back around to face the bonfire and close my eyes. _I cannot believe that she just called him over here_, I thought. Soon, I sensed his presence behind me. I turned and faked a smile, just like I always did.

"Hey, Nick. Good game."

He watched me intently for a moment, trying to decide if I was kidding. Was it not obvious how sarcastic I was being? It didn't take a genius to know that he played like crap at that game.

"Was that a joke?" Selena asked confusedly.

I rolled my eyes slightly at her confusion, but I wasn't really sure why. She was a sweet girl and there I was, being a complete bitch. "Sure," I mumbled.

"So, Nick, about Homecoming tomorrow …"

I looked up at him and watched as he shifted awkwardly on his feet. "Selena, I really don't think that I want a date to this dance."

"What do you mean? You told me that you'd consider it!"

"And I did consider it, and I realized that maybe it's time for us both to move on from this and find new people," he said calmly.

Selena shook her head and backed away. "I cannot believe this," she murmured. She then turned away and stormed off in Demi's direction.

Nick slumped down into her place in the grass. "Can we talk?"

"You can talk, but I can't guarantee that I'll listen to you," I replied.

"I didn't mean that it was a mistake."

I shook my head, unable to listen to anything else he had to say. "This is ridiculous. I'm getting a drink." I went to walk away, but I felt him grasp my wrist. "What?" I hissed.

"This isn't right. We have to talk about it!"

"I don't have to do anything."

"Well then you _should_ listen to me, because if you don't, this situation is just going to get worse for the both of us." Nick ran his hand through his curls and stood up beside me. "What's going on with Liam?"

"I'm ending it," I replied simply.

"When?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight."

Nick looked at me and bit his lip in a frustrated fashion. "None of this is going the way I wanted it to," he murmured. He glanced at his watch, then looked over at Liam. "You should spend some time with him. After all, he flew all this way just to see you."

I watched Nick in confusion. "I can't figure you out," I said. "One minute, you're kissing me and telling me that we need to talk and the next, you're telling me that I need to spend some time with Liam. What are you even thinking?"

"I'm thinking that it isn't right for you to break up with him when we don't even know what this is."

I laughed loudly at his words. "I had planned to break up with Liam long before any of this happened, trust me." I took a step in Liam's direction and smiled slightly at Nick. "Don't flatter yourself, kid."

For the first time that night, Nick seemed to smile a real smile back at me. "Shut up, princess."

I turned and walked away towards Liam, Selena and Demi. Selena, who I could tell had been keeping her eyes glued to Nick since she walked away, watched me suspiciously.

"Where's the beer?" I asked. I usually wasn't a big drinker but I needed something to calm my nerves.

Demi pointed to a keg behind her. "Over there. I'll come with you." She didn't give me time to respond. Instead, she grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me quickly to the keg. "What the hell is going on with you and my brother? Liam and Selena have noticed that something's up, Miley, so I suggest that you fill me in right now."

I bit my lip as I filled a cup with beer from the keg. I trusted Demi. I knew that she usually had some sound advice to give me whenever I needed it, and I knew that, although Selena meant a lot to her, I had started to as well.

"He kind of kissed me back at the school," I blurted out. "When I told you and Liam to walk on, I went back inside to find him and to talk to him."

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Demi hissed.

"You thought that I was the reason he was playing like crap. I had to find out if you were right." I took a deep breath, followed by a sip of beer. "We were arguing, I guess, about what's going on between us. He told me how he felt and then he just kissed me. He told me he shouldn't have done it so I got pissed off and walked away, but now he keeps trying to talk to me about it!" I groaned. "This is all such a mess."

"Let me get this straight: Nick told you how he feels about you, and then he kissed you?" she asked.

I nodded.

She smiled slightly. "Miley, honey, it isn't a big secret that Nick's a bit of an asshole with it comes to girls. In fact, I don't think you'll find a bigger jerk in this town than my brother. But he has never once admitted to a girl that he likes her. He's always just assumed that they'll just figure it out, but they never do." Demi touched my arm and shook her head. "You've really got him tied up in knots, haven't you?"

I said nothing. I looked at Nick as he drifted from group to group, putting on a smile that was so obviously fake. I saw his gaze drift to Selena every now and then, and I could see in his eyes how guilty he felt about everything.

"Maybe I have."

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**When editing, I had added a load of things in to make the chapter way longer and way better than it is, but then I accidentally closed the tab without saving the work :'( Worst feeling in the world. So I am sorry for the chapter being kind of short. I'll try to make it up to you by getting lots more chapters out before school starts! :-)**

**Thanks to emma, nileyfanxo, Fatimaaa, wateen, jonasluver4ever21, .Awesome, Simar, nileyfan0314, FABULOUSmarie, fallingstar2008, NickJisoffmychain2828, ijustneedyounow, lifesaclimb11, YouSaidForever, MissQueenyB, NileyFreakk, IWantNiley3.0, When I'm Afraid, lifeswhatyoumakeit101 and babygurl98 for your reviews. To get twenty reviews on one chapter when, at one point, it was hard enough to get ten on some stories, is amazing, so thank you all so much.**

**I've been playing around with ideas for oneshots, so I might post a couple of them as well as chapters of A Thousand Miles From Home and Like Ships in the Night :-)**


	11. Chapter 11

"Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

I looked up and saw Liam towering over me. I got to my feet and took his hand, pulling him to the edge of the celebratory party. I looked up at him and bit my lip. I knew that the minutes that followed weren't going to be pretty. "What are you talking about?"

"I know that you want to end this," he said sadly.

"You've known that since you got here, Liam."

"But I thought that we would at least have one more good night together. You know, tomorrow. At that dance. You made such a big deal about it that I guess that I figured we would get to spend that time together," Liam admitted. He glanced back at the party and sighed.

"In case you haven't noticed, we haven't had one good night together since you arrived," I said. "We either spend the night in silence or we avoid talking about our issues. This week hasn't worked the way you wanted it to, Liam. This has to end tonight. That may sound kind of harsh to you, but there isn't much point in prolonging this thing much longer, is there?"

He looked over his shoulder again. I saw his eyes follow Nick as he got up and went to refill his cup with beer. "It's him, isn't it? Demi's brother. He's your somebody else, isn't he?"

I hesitated. It would have been easier to say that there was nothing there between Nick and I; that we were both happier when we weren't around each other and that there was absolutely know chemistry between us. However, Liam deserved better than a blatant lie. He deserved to know the truth.

"You could say that."

"It's a yes or no question, Miley."

"Then yes, I guess he's my somebody else," I said reluctantly. "Liam, I never meant to hurt you. Things just spiralled downwards between us, didn't they?"

He smiled dejectedly and shook his head. "I deserve all of this," he admitted. "I've hurt you over and over again since you moved here. I don't know how I didn't realize that you would move on because of it."

"I didn't move on just because of the way you've been acting," I admitted. "It was more than that. I think that you and I both know that being down here has changed me. I'm not that girl anymore. I'm not willing to put up with a crappy long distance relationship and I'm not willing to put you through that either. We both deserve so much more than that, Liam."

"Does he make you happy?"

I laughed. "He makes me angry."

He smiled again. "That was another one of my yes or no questions," he teased.

I thought about it. Nick infuriated me to no end. He made me want to rip my hair out sometimes. He made me want to curl up into a ball and scream into a pillow. He made me want to punch him and yell at him about how mad he made me. But he also made me want to melt into a puddle every time he touched me. He made my heart flutter and my knees go weak. He made my stomach flip every morning when I watched him go off on his run or get into the pool for a swim.

"I honestly don't know," I said thoughtfully.

"You deserve to be happy, Miley," Liam said quietly. "Maybe I didn't make it happen, but it's what you deserve. I mean that. If he's what makes you happy … Go for it."

"Thank you."

Liam stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground. "So, this is it, huh? After all this time, we're finished, and this is how it ends? In a field with a bunch of hicks in Texas?"

I smiled. Even as we were breaking up, Liam found a way to insult my new life. "I guess so," I replied. "I really do care about you, Liam. It just isn't the same as it used to be. Not anymore."

"I kind of figured that," he admitted. "Once I stopped calling you back and you stopped picking up, I think I gathered that this wasn't working." He smiled and engulfed me in a hug. "I love you, Miley. We may not be the way that we were before, but I do love you and I want you to be happy." He pulled back. "But like I said ... If he's what makes you happy, go for it."

I smiled and touched his arm. "You know, you're a lot nicer when you aren't in a relationship with me," I joked.

Liam laughed. "I guess you stressed me out." He glanced at the time on his phone and looked at me. "Seeing as I have no dance to wait around for, I better get back to the motel and pack my things. I'll be out of town tomorrow."

"Take care."

"You too, Miles."

I watched Liam as he walked away from me for the final time. He didn't look back. I suppose he knew that it was finally time to let me go, and he was finally accepting it.

I looked around the huge field and saw Nick looking at me. I looked away quickly. I really wasn't in the mood for his drama. He regretted the kiss and that was fine, but I didn't need to be reminded of my humiliation.

"Liam's gone?"

I looked over my shoulder and saw that Demi had returned to my side. She was smiling at me gently, like she knew exactly what I was thinking – with Liam gone, I had no excuses for not talking to Nick.

"Looks like it," I replied.

"And things are over between you?"

"Yeah."

"For good?"

"Of course."

Demi let out a relieved breath and grinned. "Finally. You've been miserable since he arrived, and everybody's noticing the tension between you and Nick whenever Liam's around," she said. "Even my mom asked me what was going on between you."

"Oh gosh, please don't tell your mom about this," I pleaded. I didn't want Denise to think badly of me. After all, I had been leaving her son hanging and making the dinner table a very awkward place to be.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell her," she reassured me. "I just told her that he's had a lot on his mind lately and he's been taking it on you." She smiled slightly. "I thought that my idea was far simpler, seeing as it isn't necessarily a lie."

"I should talk to Nick, huh?"

"Yep," Demi replied, popping the 'p'.

I took a step in the direction of fallen tree that had been dragged over to serve as a bench over where Nick was sitting, but I found my path blocked by someone taller than me.

I looked up from the ground and found myself face-to-face with Jake.

"Hey," he said with a grin. "How are you? I've been trying to find you all night. We haven't talked since the drive-in movie."

I faked a smile. "I know, Jake, and I really want to catch up, but there's somebody I was just on my way to talk to right now."

"Was that your boyfriend?" he asked, completely ignoring everything I had said.

"Ex-boyfriend," I automatically corrected, immediately regretting it.

"You're single?"

"Just about."

Jake's face lit up, and I felt awful. I was completely leading him on. He thought that he had a chance now that Liam was out of the picture, but really, with Liam gone, the only one I wanted a chance with was Nick.

"Well, now that you're single, maybe we could go out to dinner sometime?"

I bit my lip. "Jake …" I trailed off, trying to find a way to put him down gently. "I broke up with Liam like five minutes. I think it would be a little insensitive towards him if I immediately started dating someone else, you know?"

I closed my eyes, realizing how true my words were. It _was_ completely insensitive of me to move on so fast, whether it was with Jake or with Nick. Either way, Liam had hardly even left and I had already been making plans to hook up with somebody else.

"Oh," Jake said in a deflated voice. "I get that." He hesitated slightly. "Call me if you change your mind, okay?"

I smiled softly at him and nodded. I then realized that I had to tell Nick the same thing as I told Jake. It wasn't fair to Liam to move on to someone else so fast, never mind the fact that it was someone that Liam didn't even like. Even though Liam had told her to go for it, she couldn't shake the guilt of breaking up with him for someone else, someone that she didn't even know if she had a future with.

"I will," I said half-heartedly. "I better go and talk to that person now. I'll catch up with you later." I touched Jake's arm, gave him a warm smile, and then made my way towards the makeshift bench.

Nick looked up from his beer as soon as he saw me approaching. He smiled slightly, and I couldn't help the butterflies in my stomach as I looked at him in that light, his face brightened by the flames.

I stood behind him and leaned down close to his ear. "Can we talk?" I whispered.

Nick nodded. He stood up, walked around the fallen tree and stopped beside me. He motioned for me to follow him and led me through the crowds of people. He eventually stopped at the edge of the field, in a spot long after the crowd had started to thin out at the edges. We were in the shadows made by the tall bushes and shrubs. I knew what he was doing – he was trying to make sure that Selena didn't see him with me.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I broke up with Liam."

He smiled slightly. "You did?" he asked softly.

I nodded. "But that's not the important thing here is." I hesitated and shook my head. "Whatever this … _thing_ between us is, it's screwing up my head. I can't think about anything else. One minute you're telling me about how I'm all you can think about, then you're saying it's a mistake, then you're trying to talk to me about it all, then you want me to spend time with Liam! What the hell is this, Nick? Because I honestly cannot keep going on this way."

"Miley …"

"Just tell me what you want from me."

"You know what I want." He sighed frustratedly and ran his hand through his hair. "This is all so messed up," he murmured. "I've never screwed up a game because of a girl before, and then you come along and I'm all over the place!"

"This isn't about a stupid football game, Nick. This is about way more than that."

"Don't you think I know that?" he hissed. Nick looked up at me in the shadows and sighed. "What do _you_ want, Miley? Because all we ever seem to talk about is what _I_ want, but how am I supposed to know what you want me to say whenever I don't know what you want?"

"You shouldn't have to say what I want you to say. You should be able to do that without meaning to," I said quietly.

"You know I want to be with you," he whispered. He reached for my hand, but I pulled it back quickly.

"I can't be with you," I said.

"Why not?"

"That's what we need to talk about," I explained. "Whatever this is isn't good for us. I think that, before we do anything about these feelings we're having, we need to take some time and make sure that this is what we really want." I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "I should show some respect to Liam. He left this bonfire not even twenty minutes ago, and I've already been talking to someone about moving on from him. I owe it to him to give it time."

Nick stayed quiet for a moment. He looked up at me and, even though I saw the sadness in his eyes, I knew that he understood why I wanted to do what I was doing.

"If that's what you need," he said softly.

"It is."

"How much time do you need?"

"I'll let you know when I know myself," I said with a soft smile.

Nick nodded and watched as I turned around and began to walk out of the shadows. I headed back to the party, holding in tears as I felt his gaze burning holes in the back of my head.

As I approached the edge of the crowd, I found Demi and Selena standing near the back. Demi was talking animatedly to a group, making them laugh as only Demi could, but Selena's eyes were glued to me, and I could tell at once that she sure as hell wasn't happy.

* * *

**I know that it's been longer than I expected since I updated. I'm sorry for that. School started this week and things are piling up already. I should stop using school as an excuse, but I promise that I will try my best to update as quickly as I can. This year is my GCSE year, so it's pretty big for me, meaning that updates will be less frequent, but like I said, I'll try.**

**Thank you all for the reviews. They went down a little bit, but 18 is still fantastic. Thanks to niley4eva2012, LetItRainx3, When I'm Afraid, SillyyPandaaGirll, xnickslightning, .Awesome, nileyfan0314, wateen, lifesaclimb11, nickmileyclub, YouSaidForever, IWantNiley3.0, jonasluver4ever21, NileyFreak, ijustneedyounow, Simar, NickJisoffmychain2828 and MissQueenyB. Reviews, as always, were much appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Just a quick heads up - the italics are a flashback.**

* * *

I woke up the next morning feeling like the night before had never happened. It was like Liam was going to be sticking around and Nick had never kissed me, like Selena had no vendetta against me and everything was normal (or as normal as things could be since things got complicated between me and Nick).

I sat up in bed and crawled out. I walked straight to the door and crept past Selena's sleeping form on the couch. I made my way to Demi's bedroom door, pushed it open, then quickly closed it behind me.

"Demi!" I hissed.

Her eyes fluttered open. She balled her hands into fists and rubbed sleepily at her eyes. She sat up slowly. "Miley?" she grunted, squinting over in my direction.

"The one and only," I replied. I sat down on her bed and bit my lip. "We need to talk about what you said to me last night about Selena."

My head had been spinning ever since Demi had come into my room after 2AM and told me what Selena had been saying when I wasn't around about Nick and me …

_Demi closed the door quickly. "You will never believe the things I have to tell you!" She jumped down onto my bed and bit her lip nervously. "So, you know how you left the party early? Selena was totally trying to find stuff out about what's going on with you and Nick."_

"_What did she want to know?"_

"_Basically why you've been acting so weird around him lately, and why he's been so nervous around you," Demi said with a shrug. "Anyway, completely not the point! The point is that, after that, she started saying that it was a bit weird that you had a boyfriend down to visit and yet you and Nick were blatantly flirting in front of him."_

"_How the hell does she know that we've been flirting? She's hardly around to see!"_

_Demi shrugged again. "Don't shoot the messenger," she replied. "Sel is my best friend, but the way she's been acting over Nick has been driving me crazy. Therefore, I am Team Miley."_

"_Team Miley?"_

"_You know, like Team Edward and Team Jacob, Team Peeta and Team Gale?" She shook her head. "Again, not the point. So then I told her to back off and that you and I are friends, then she started grumbling about how you were stealing her boyfriend AND her best friend now."_

"_I didn't steal anything from her!"_

"_Selena seems to think you have." Demi sat up excitedly. "Yeah, so anyway! After that, she got totally pissed off with me. She basically followed Nick around the entire party and then – this is the best bit – he turned around and literally yelled at her in front of everybody about how they were over and he just wanted to move on."_

_My heart beat a thousand times faster. Nick had told Selena to back off. Which meant that he was definitely single. Which meant that, once I had respectfully given Liam's ego time to re-inflate, Nick and I could start things up like nothing had ever happened …_

"Miley, it's early. Can we please talk about this later, preferably when I've had my morning dose of caffeine?"

I slapped Demi's leg. "And you call yourself my friend," I mumbled, getting to my feet and walking across to the bedroom door. "I'll be back to discuss this with you, you know. The dance is tonight and we really need to sort this out before we start getting ready with Selena."

"As I said, when I've had my morning dose of caffeine." Demi collapsed back into her pillows, lifting a cushion and placing it over her head.

I chuckled at her behavior and walked out into the living room. I once again crept past Selena and wandered out into the backyard.

I checked the time quickly on my phone – 7:30AM. Okay, it had been pretty early, but I was way too awake to do anything but think about the previous night's events.

I heard footsteps come around the side of the house. I turned quickly, just in time to see Nick come into the backyard. He was wearing shorts and a worn old band t-shirt. When he saw me, he stopped.

Nick nervously wiped the sweat from his morning run off his forehead. "Miley," he said softly. "You're up early."

I knew what he was doing. He had clearly gotten up early for his run to avoid bumping into me. What a failure that move was, huh?

I sat down on a sun lounger and looked up at him, ignoring the insane back flips in my stomach. "I couldn't sleep. My mind's been racing lately, you know?" I immediately regretted my comment. That had been attention-seeking beyond denial.

Nick smiled slightly. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Selena's sleeping in the pool house," I said quickly.

Nick nodded. "So Demi told me." He hesitated, then glanced over his shoulder. "Do you want to come inside? I think it would be best if we talked inside." He nodded his head to the pool house.

I turned and realized that Selena's sleeping body was in clear view of us. It occurred to me that he was referring to the fact that, if she woke up, she would hear every word of our conversation, something that wasn't exactly a good thing.

I followed Nick in to the main house. He closed the French doors leading in to the kitchen behind us, then closed the door out into the hallway.

"Joe came back for the Homecoming game," he explained. "Everybody knows that he'll be the first to be listening in the hallway if he thinks there's drama going on in this house."

I nodded. "I see."

"Miley …"

"Nick, we talked about this."

"But I –"

"We're giving it time, remember?"

Nick leaned against the island in the centre of the kitchen and sighed. "This is driving me insane, Miley. You only broke up last night but now that I know …" He trailed off and shook his head. "I can't do this whole staying apart thing."

"It's only for a little while," I said weakly. Hearing everything he was saying made it so hard to stay away, but I knew I had to. It wasn't right or realistic to go straight from one relationship to another.

"How much longer do you need me to wait? I've been chasing you for weeks."

"I would hardly call it chasing," I replied. "We nearly kissed in your truck and then you avoided me until Liam arrived. I heard everything you said to Demi about me at the start of the week, Nick. I know that you're just as damaged as I am after everything you've been through with Selena. We both need time to be sure that this is what we want." I bit my lip and looked away. "You might not understand that right now, but some day, you're going to thank me for it."

Nick took a step towards me, reaching out his hand. "Miley …"

I quickly pulled my hand away from his and looked away. "You're going to thank me for it," I repeated. I needed to repeat it, not only for Nick but for myself.

The kitchen door opened and Denise walked in. She stopped just inside the door and looked between us, her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "Am I interrupting something in here? I can go if you need me to," she asked.

Nick looked at me and sighed dramatically. "No, Ma. I was just going for a shower." He then turned around, slipped past his mother and thundered up the stairs to his bedroom.

Denise closed the kitchen door once more and turned to face me. "Actually, Miley, I've been meaning to talk to you for a while now."

"Oh, okay." I sat down at the breakfast bar and looked at her.

"Would you like some coffee first?" she asked.

I nodded and watched as she got two cups from the cupboard and poured coffee into them from the machine on the counter. She then turned around, handed me one of the cups and leaned against the island, just as her son had been doing moments beforehand.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked nervously.

"It's about my son," she said. She observed me for a moment and took a sip from her coffee cup. "Nick hasn't been himself lately. Usually he's happy and cracking jokes and - let's face it - cocky. A conversation with Demi has led me to believe that you're the latest object of his affections."

I looked away, staring down at my coffee. The last person I wanted to have this conversation with was Denise. My biggest nightmare ever since the whole Nick thing had started was that she would change her mind about me; that she would call my parents and tell them that I needed to come home to them. The last thing I wanted was to spend time with my parents when they were fighting so passionately about everything they had once shared, including me.

"Paul and I talked about it, and we noticed that you haven't been yourself either. I just want to know what's going on between you."

"I would have thought Demi would have told you all there is to know," I said softly.

Denise smiled. "You're lucky, you know. You have a loyal friend in Demi. She decided that you and her brother should be the ones to tell me everything, and she was right. It isn't her place to talk about things that don't involve her. Now, I need to know what my boy has done to get you so tied up in knots."

I looked up at Denise. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore," I whispered. It was taking everything, and I mean everything, in me to hold back tears. All the emotions that had been draining me for the past few weeks were all starting to come out, and I was falling apart.

"What's going on, honey?" Denise asked, reaching her hand out. She placed it over mine and looked at me sympathetically. "I can't help you unless you tell me what's bothering you."

I took a deep breath and realized that maybe it would be better if Denise knew everything. "Nick and I had been having these … moments, I guess. It was getting to us both. I mean, I broke up with Liam because of it. I mean, it wasn't just that – we were drifting apart anyway. But I realized that it wasn't right to jump straight from one serious relationship into another one that might not even last, especially when Selena still wants him so badly. It's just so hard. I want to be with Nick, I do. But I can't. I have to respect the fact that Liam might only be on a flight back to New York now and it isn't right to just jump straight to Nick." I wiped away the tears that had already started to fall. "And it's already hard enough being so far from home, but what makes it worse is that everything is so new here and I'm trying to take my mind off my feelings for Nick but he's one of the only people I know well around here."

"Oh, Miley," Denise breathed. Her eyes crinkled in compassion as she squeezed my hand encouragingly. "Why didn't you just tell me all of this before? We could have helped made things easier for you. We would have done anything we could have to help you."

"What could you have done? You can't fly my friends down to Dallas. You can't make my parents stop fighting over the little things that they don't even care about. You can't get my feelings for Nick to just switch off like a lightbulb," I said, trying to control my tears from erupting into full-on sobs. I no longer cared about how awkward it might have been to speak to his mother about everything. I needed to just let it out.

Denise came around the island and wrapped her arms tightly around me. "Maybe you're right about jumping into another relationship so quickly, but staying away from my son is clearly making you miserable," she said soothingly.

"But Liam –"

"Would want you to be happy," Denise said quickly. "Honey, if he cares about you as much as he said he did, he wouldn't want you to be miserable just out of respect for his feelings."

"And Selena –"

Denise pursed her lips and let me go to allow me to reach for my coffee. "Selena and Nick are … complicated." She hesitated. "My son has treated that girl like dirt for years, and she still keeps running back. It makes me wonder of she just likes the drama of it all."

"Does it not mean that she just cares for him a lot?"

"You would think so, but she never seems as heartbroken as she lets on." She shook her head. "But we aren't here to discuss Nick and Selena, are we? We're here to talk about _you_." She smiled warmly at me. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at my son and see how much he cares for you, Miley. No one has gotten to him like this before."

I look down again. I quickly finish my coffee. "I should probably go and get dressed," I said quietly. I got to my feet and smiled weakly at Denise. "Thank you. For listening."

Denise smiled warmly back at me. "I know that your parents aren't here to help you at the minute, but always feel free to talk to me if you need an adult opinion."

I smiled once more and made my way to the French doors.

"Miley?"

I turned and looked at Denise, who was leaning against the counter again with her coffee cup in hand.

"I know that everything seems scary right now, what with the move and the break-up with Liam and your decisions regarding Nick, but whatever you decide, you need to remember that you need to make yourself happy, because at the end of all this, I don't want you to look back at your time down here with us and think about what you could have done to make yourself content. Do you understand?"

I nodded and made my way out into the backyard, processing Denise's words. As I thought about everything she said, it hit me that maybe time wasn't what I needed where Nick was concerned. Maybe all I needed was him.

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**The number of reviews I received went down a little in the last chapter. I won't lie by saying that I'm not disappointed, because I was. However, I decided that, despite my disappointment, I still needed to update. Thanks to fabulousmarie, SillyyPandaaGirll, IWantNiley3.0, nileyfan0314, LetItRainx3 (I actually did manage to get A* in my English Lit module, haha), xnickslightning, Fatimaaa, lifesaclimb11, jonasluver4ever21, YouSaidForever, ijustneedyounow, NickJisoffmychain2828 and Guest (Yes I am :-) ). All reviews were much appreciated, and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you thought in a review x**

**I wrote a new oneshot (I deleted my last one as I need to edit out song lyrics - I'll repost that soon) and I hope to post it soon, so keep an eye out for that. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A few people commented on how nice Denise was in the last chapter. One person in particular said they weren't quite so sure after that episode of Married to Jonas. I have seen the episode, and she annoyed me so much in that, but before that, I always imagined her as being so kind-hearted and gracious. So I decided to portray Denise in the way that she has always been in my head rather than the way she was on Married to Jonas. Just wanted to clear that up. Okay, now that that's out of the way, enjoy the chapter :-)**

* * *

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and wondered what you did to become the person that you are? It was the night of the Homecoming dance, and as I checked myself in my bedroom mirror, I couldn't help but think about what I did to be who I was, and what I did to get to the place I was in with Nick. Where had we made a bad move? Maybe it was somewhere between the time I first saw him and the time he saved me from plunging to my death from his bedroom window. Whatever happened, we never seemed to be in a comfortable place where we both knew exactly what was going on.

There was a gentle knock on the door and Demi walked in. "Zip me," she ordered, marching over to me and turning so her back faced me.

I quickly zipped the gold sequined mini dress and smiled. "You look amazing, Dem." I looked at the dress, which floated out into slight ruffles at the bottom, and nodded. "No girl in that room is even going to compare to you tonight."

Demi laughed and shook her head. "Except maybe you! You look fantastic, Miley. My brother is going to drop dead when he sees you."

I looked at my reflection once more. I had to admit that I was feeling confident. The silver dress was fitted. Rhinestones and sequins decorated it in stripes. I had bought it on a trip in to the city with Demi about two weeks beforehand.

"He can't wait to see you, you know. This entire thing is driving him insane," Demi said softly, watching me in the mirror with a gentle smile.

I sighed. I knew that she was talking about Nick – who else would it be? My conversation with Denise had completely changed my view on the matter. Maybe what I needed was time with Nick, not without him. I had to admit that I did make an effort with Nick in mind when I was getting ready, but I wasn't exactly willing to tell Demi that.

"And he will. See me, I mean," I replied simply.

Demi chuckled slightly. "You really don't let that boy off easily, do you?"

I had considered the fact that Demi was right – maybe I was too hard on Nick for all that time. Maybe I had judged him too quickly after we first met or maybe I had strung him along for too long. However, I had decided that it was less to do with me being too hard on Nick and more to do with the fact that I didn't want to admit that I was settling in somewhere that wasn't New York. I had decided that I felt guilty about moving on from Lilly, Liam and my life in the city and so took that guilt out on Nick.

I didn't answer Demi. "Let's get going, shall we?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject.

I heard Demi sigh at my refusal to open up to her about Nick yet again. It was nothing personal against her. I just was so tired of talking about it out loud to everyone in the family except the boy himself.

"Selena's waiting over in the house," she said. "I'll go and get her and meet you out front."

"Selena's here?" I had completely forgotten that Selena would be coming to pick us up. There was nothing more awkward than catching a ride to Homecoming with the ex-girlfriend of your maybe-future-boyfriend.

"She's our ride, remember?" Demi giggled. "She felt weird being here after everything that happened with Nick, but I didn't want her going to Homecoming alone, you know? And seeing as none of us have dates, I thought it would be a good idea for the three of us to go together," she explained. "So yeah. I'll meet you out front at her car."

"Where's Nick?" I asked casually, trying to slip it into the conversation like it was no big deal.

Demi smirked slightly. "Looking for my brother, huh? Whatever. He had some team stuff to do over at the school before everybody started arriving for the dance. Pictures or something, I don't know. He left here like half an hour ago. He was looking rather charming, if I do say so myself. Maybe that was down to my help last year in selecting a slightly more mature wardrobe." She smiled proudly and made her way out of the bathroom.

Demi and I walked across the lawn in silence. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I had decided during my thinking while getting ready that things would never be the same after the dance. It was impossible to turn back after what I was about to do.

Even though we had said that we would meet out front, I followed her into the kitchen. We entered the room and saw Selena sitting at the breakfast bar, watching Denise as she worked on some cookies across from her. She was chatting innocently enough, it seemed, but I could tell by the look on Denise's face that she was as bored as I was nervous.

Denise looked up at us and smiled, relieved to be saved from more quality time with Selena. "Girls! Are you ready to go?"

Demi nodded. "You ready, Sel?"

"Yep." Selena eyed me for a moment and sighed theatrically. "Gosh, I've been waiting _forever_. What took you so long, Miley? It's been so boring just waiting here for you!"

I smiled at her, mainly because there wasn't much else I _could_ do. "I'm sorry, Selena. Next time I'll try and speed up, shall I?" My voice was sickly sweet and blatantly fake but Selena seemed not to notice.

Denise smirked slightly. "Have a good night, girls. Make sure Nick gets home okay please, Demi. You know how he gets when he goes out with his friends."

I saw Selena's smile tighten at the mention of Nick and her eye twitch slightly, but what did she expect? She had been sitting with his mother and twin sister. He was bound to be mentioned at least once. It was inevitable.

"Thanks, Dee-Dee," she said.

I furrowed my brow. Since when did anyone call Denise 'Dee-Dee'? It sounded like some gum-chewing middle-aged woman that worked in a tacky hair salon, not the sophisticated and elegant Denise that was being the perfect housewife.

"Let's go, girls!" Demi said quickly, noticing the growing tension in the room.

Denise led us out in to the hallway and smiled. "Have a good night. Demi, Miley, curfew is twelve tonight so catch a ride with Nick, please. Try and be quiet when you come back in as Frankie will be sleeping. I'll leave out some drinks and cookies for you." She leaned over and kissed Demi on the cheek and gave me a quick hug. "Be safe."

"Let's go," Selena called from the porch, clearly bored out of her mind.

Denise eyed her for a moment. "Yes, be safe," she repeated. "If I hear a word about either of you drinking tonight –"

"Mom, we won't. I promise." Demi kissed her mother's cheek and walked quickly on to the porch. "Miley, we'll be in the car," she said, clearly noticing that Denise wanted to say something to me.

When both Demi and Selena were out of earshot, Denise smiled at me. "You look lovely, Miley. Your parents would be so proud of you. About our conversation earlier …"

"I know what I'm going to do," I said quickly.

Denise raised her eyebrows. "You do?"

I nodded quickly. "I realised that there's no point in making us both suffer just because I was trying to respect Liam. He told me to make sure that I was happy, and if being with Nick will make that happen, I'll do it." I smiled slightly. "You have some pretty amazing kids."

She smiled back and squeezed my arm slightly. "We did try our best." She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Selena was definitely in the car and sad softly, "Nick's a good boy, Miley. I really do think that he feels something for you. Don't let someone like him go."

I nodded and made my way out to car. Maybe it was a little weird to some people that I was talking to Nick's mom about my feelings for him, but Denise made it so easy to open up to her and tell her how you felt. She didn't judge you or criticise you, and she certainly didn't sugar-coat her son's flaws.

I got into the back of Selena's convertible and held on tight as she screeched out of the Grays' driveway. She cruised down the road, singing along to the radio as long as she could.

"_SO I CROSS MY HEART AND I HOPE TO DIEEEEE, THAT I'LL ONLY STAY WITH YOU ONE MORE NIIIIIGHT!_"

Demi turned in her seat and rolled her eyes playfully at me. She leaned over and turned down the volume dial on the car's stereo. "So, Selena, are you excited? I know how much you love Homecoming."

I don't know why she loved it so much – it seemed kind of lame to me – but I stayed quiet, not wanting to upset Selena more than she made clear that I already had. I wasn't really sure how I upset her, seeing as she didn't know about everything that had happened between me and Nick, but I wasn't going to rock the boat any more.

"I _was_ excited. You know how much I love this dance, Dem. But then I was left without a date so …" Selena trailed off and slumped her shoulders sadly. I could have sworn she shot me a pointed glare in the rear-view mirror, but if she did, she looked away so quickly that it was hardly even noticeable. She quickly regained her composure and sat up straight. "Besides, I have such a good plan."

"Which is?"

"That's a secret." Selena winked at Demi and pulled in to the school parking lot. "All I can tell you is that some of the stuff that is going to go down tonight is going to be completely shocking." She laughed, turned off the engine and hopped out of the car. "Let's do some dancing, shall we, ladies?"

Her earlier bad mood with me seemed to disappear as she pushed her seat forward to let me out. She smiled broadly at me and waited for me to climb out before locking the car.

"Hey, Miley, can we talk?"

Demi looked at us and made a start towards the door, understanding that Selena meant privately.

"I get that I've been kind of off with you today," she admitted. "I'm sorry. It's just that I saw you and Nick talking last night and I guess I got kind of jealous. But now I understand that you only just broke up with Liam and –" She cut herself off and sighed. "It's just that he told me that he had met somebody else, and I figured that you're new in town and you're the only one who doesn't know everything about our history, but now I see that you wouldn't move on that quickly." She frowned slightly and crossed her arms over her chest. "But I just can't figure out who it is. Anyway, I just jumped to conclusions and I'm sorry."

I stopped myself from correcting her – at least I thought I was the other girl. I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Don't worry about it," I said stiffly, looking around for somebody to interrupt the terribly awkward conversation.

"So overall, I'm sorry for how I acted," she said brightly with an equally bright grin. "Can we just forget that I ever acted like a bitch?"

I nodded, not sure what else I could do, and let her hug me tightly.

"Let's go PART-AYYY!" she squealed excitedly, rushing in to the school and down the hallway to the gym.

Demi met me at the door. "Awkward?" she asked, her voice low.

"Beyond awkward."

I was thinking about changing my mind about Nick, not to respect Liam but to avoid hurting Selena, when I entered the gym and my head decided that my previous decision was fine as soon as I saw Nick.

He was wearing a white shirt tucked in to black slacks, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows to show off his tanned and toned forearms, with a black skinny tie. His hair had been trimmed earlier that day due to Denise's persuading. He was laughing, which just made him look even more attractive. His big dark eyes sparkled under the light of that incredibly tacky disco ball on the ceiling.

In that moment, as I watched the boy who had captured my heart the second I laid eyes on him, I was floating sky-high. My conversation with Selena flew from my mind. All I could think about was this intoxicatingly handsome guy who felt for me what I felt for him, and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

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**I feel bad that this chapter is so short and completely uneventful, but the homecoming dance and the after-party will definitely be worth it. I also feel bad that it took me so long to post this, but as I said during the summer, I will post as and when I can this year. Hopefully this wasn't too bad.**

**If you haven't already, please check out something I posted the other day called '**Where Did I Go Wrong?**' I know what you're thinking - what business do I have posting ANOTHER story when I haven't even posted the second chapter of Like Ships in the Night? But this is less of a story and more something that I will update as the mood strikes. It kind of charts Nick and Miley's relationship after she finishes things for good with him and gets married. Please check it out and review. It would mean a lot.**

**Thanks to sd08d1997, MelodiesWhenYourHeartBeats, shootingstar, LetItRainx3 (Thank you - it was only 25% though so let's see if I can keep it up, haha), mileyforever101, .Awesome, SillyyPandaaGirll, MnM16, ijustneedyounow, xnickslightning, wateen, xLoveKeepsUsKindx, sophie, YouSaidForever, Fatimaaaa, NileySnuggie, NileyFreakk, nickmileyclub, IWantNiley3.0, MissQueenyB, jonasluver4ever21, fabulousmarie, crazyPridelover, NickJisoffmychain2828 and Simar for your reviews! The last chapter was the most reviewed so far, so thank you for that. Keep it up :-)**


	14. Chapter 14

To say the entire situation with Nick was dragging itself out would be an understatement.

You would think that, with our constant stares at each other and the frequent smirks and smiles across the room, one of us would have made a move, but by eleven o'clock, neither one of us had made that definitive advance towards the other.

"You know, you should really just go and talk to him. You're driving me crazy," Demi said.

We had been sitting on the bleachers for over half an hour. She had been talking to people that had drifted past, laughing and chatting to each in a way that only Demi could. I, on the other hand, had been watching Nick just as closely as his ex-girlfriend was on the other side of the gym.

I had caught him looking right back at me, and I made this clear to Demi whenever the person she was talking to moved on, but every time she had told me that if I cared that much, I should go over. But I was not going to make the first move. As sexist and traditionalist as it sounded, Nick was the guy, and he should have been the one to make the first move.

"He likes you and you like him. Just make a move," Demi hissed.

"I can't," I hissed back. "He has to be the one to make the first move."

"How backwards are you? I thought that all you New Yorkers were supposed to be ahead of all us Southerners. For someone so far ahead of us, you certainly don't know the way things work these days, do you?" Demi laughed and nodded her head towards her brother. "He's clearly waiting for _you_ to make the first move, so I guess that you're stuck in some sort of stalemate here."

I drifted my gaze back to Nick and caught him looking at me once again. I smiled slightly and shook my head. "I've never had to go up to a guy before. What am I supposed to say?"

"Well, what do you want to say?"

I hesitated. "That I'm tired of this tension between us."

"Then tell him that. I know my brother better than anybody, even Selena, and I know that, right now, he's tired of waiting around and hoping that you know how he feels." Demi's gaze shifted to her brother. She smiled slightly and shook her head. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but as much as Nick loves playing games, he wants you so badly that he's done with all of this."

I stood up from my seat and looked down at her. "I'll be back soon." I didn't tell her where I was going. I marched out of the gym and whipped my phone out of my clutch.

I was about to type a message, but someone bumped into me. I looked up and was met with Selena's beaming face.

"Miley! I've been looking for Demi for _ever_. Have you seen her lately?"

"I just left her. She's sitting on the bleachers," I replied, faking a smile. How could I tell this girl that I was in the process of texting her ex? Awkward would not have been the word.

"Thanks. And Nick?"

I hesitated. "Talking to some guys in the gym."

She looked relieved. "No girls?"

I took a deep breath and shook my head, hoping that she couldn't see through me. "Not that I could see." I glanced at my phone. "Listen, I have to make a call to my friend. Excuse me." I flashed her a quick smile and walked off down the hall, turning the corner so that Selena couldn't hear what I was saying.

I found his number and quickly typed the message:

"Come to the boys' locker rooms now."

I quickly hung up and made my way down the hall to the locker rooms. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do once I had lured Nick down there, but I knew that we definitely needed to talk about everything that had happened between us.

I didn't have to wait long for Nick to come in. He arrived moments after me, bursting through the door like a hurricane. He looked around the large room and spotted me on a bench in one of the central aisles of small lockers.

He approached slowly. "Why are we here?" he asked softly. I think the question had a double meaning, but I didn't comment on that.

"Neither one of us seemed to be in the mood for making the first move, so I thought it would be a good idea to talk in a quiet place. The locker rooms seem pretty secluded, don't you think?" I beamed up at him, hoping that he, like Selena, wouldn't see through me and see that I was scared as hell.

He smiled back slightly. "Secluded, huh?"

"I didn't think it would be a good idea for Selena to see us together."

His smile faltered slightly at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. "Let's forget about Selena tonight, okay? I've worried about her enough to last me a lifetime."

"We can't exactly forget about her if we're going to talk about what's going on here, Nick."

"And what _is_ going on here exactly, Miley? Because I'm pretty damn confused about everything. One minute we're kissing after the game, the next you're telling me that you need time, and after that, you're sending me a text message and telling me to come away from a dance to an empty locker room. These games we keep playing with each other are getting old now. You can't keep playing hot-and-cold," he hissed.

"What, like you did with Selena?"

He slammed his fist against a locker, frustrated. "I said that I wanted to forget about Selena tonight! This isn't about her. This is about you and me, Miley. It doesn't matter what Selena or Liam or my sister thinks. This is about you and me and how screwed up this entire situation is."

I stood up and turned my back on him. "This isn't easy for me, you know. I only broke up with Liam yesterday and yet I went back to my bedroom last night wishing that I had just told you how badly I wanted to be with you."

"All you had to do was say so."

"Why? It would only hurt everybody else around us."

"I don't see Liam around here, do you? And as for Selena, leave her to me. She knows better than anyone that what we had couldn't last forever," Nick replied.

I shook my head and took a step further away, turning to face him as I did so. "She seems to think that it could. She was desperate for you to come here with her tonight, do you know that? She hung around the house, waiting for you to come out and tell her how amazing she looked. She bugged your mom non-stop about where you were and what you were doing. All she wanted from you was a little bit of attention. Even a tiny bit would have made that girl's day, Nick."

"I don't _want_ Selena."

"Then what the hell _do_ you want?"

He stared at me with those deep and intense eyes. He could make any girl melt into a puddle on the floor with that stare. "You know exactly what I want, Miley."

"Then say it."

"I already have."

"Tell me _exactly_ what you want."

Nick said nothing. He stared at the ground, his hands clenched into fists, taking deep breaths. He looked back up at me and shook his head. "You have no idea how difficult this is for me."

"Tell me what you want," I repeated, hoping that he wouldn't turn around and storm out of that door.

He paused for a moment, then approached me slowly. "I want _you_, Miley. I've wanted you from the second I saw you at my house during the summer. I wanted you when I was with Selena. I wanted you when you were with Liam. I wanted you then, I want you now, and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to want you for a long time."

I had been waiting for weeks for Nick to tell me just how much he wanted me, and yet there he was, telling me exactly how he felt, and all I could do was grin like some kind of mute idiot. His words had rendered me speechless, something that, I must admit, was very hard to do.

But I didn't need to say anything, because Nick had other ideas.

He pressed me gently against the lockers behind me. He cupped my cheek with one hand and pressed his other against the cool metal surface, locking me in. The smirk that was oh-so-Nick was playing on his lips, just as it had been the day we met. He pressed his forehead against mine. Feeling his breath hit my cheek was driving me crazy.

"Nobody can know about this. Not yet," I murmured.

"I can do that," he breathed in response.

"I mean it, Nick. No bragging to the team or talking to Joe or –"

He cut me off with a kiss. I felt like, if I was in a movie, some cheesy big orchestral piece of music would play to signify that everything was finally working out for the protagonists. But I had to admit that things probably weren't working out for us as well as they could. I mean, how well could something be working out if we couldn't even tell anyone about what was happening?

Our bodies were right up against one another. I rested on hand on his chest and the other on his neck, keeping his face close to mine. His hand drifted down from the locker behind me to my waist, pulling my whole body closer, if that was even possible.

I felt myself getting dizzy. As corny as it sounded, his kisses gave me some kind of high. I felt like I was up in the clouds as his lips moved against mine, our tongues mingling together.

He slowly pulled back, much to my dismay, his smirk ever-present. "So, if nobody can know about this, then what do you suggest we do, huh?" I noticed that he didn't move his hands from my waist or cheek, but I liked the feel of his hands on my body far too much to point it out to him.

"Well, how about we see each other in secret for a little bit?"

"In secret?"

"Yeah. I mean, it really isn't fair to rub this in Selena's face, is it? And I definitely don't want word of this getting back to Liam, not yet. He deserves time to find somebody else. He doesn't need to hear that I've hooked up with the guy I basically dumped him for," I explained.

Nick bit his lip, smirking. "So you did break up with that douche for me!"

"It wasn't just for you," I pointed out.

"Ah, but it was partly for me?"

I hesitated, followed me a slight nod. I didn't see the point in lying. I guess I could spare one little detail in order to let him gloat. If it made Nick feel better about himself, then fine.

He lowered his hand from my cheek to my back. Slowly he brought it down to rest on the other side of my waist. He looked down into my eyes and I could see the desire in them as he watched me intently.

"Well, seeing as we're doing this in secret …"

"Yes?"

"How would you feel if we made out again?"

I giggled and nodded. "I think that I would like that, actually."

"Good, because I've been dying to kiss you since I pulled away," he breathed.

Then our lips met once again, and everything felt perfect all over again. I rested my hands on his shoulders for support (I have to admit that, every time he kissed me, my legs seemed to turn to jelly). He lowered one hand from my waist to the back of my thigh. He slowly lifted up my right leg, winding it around his waist. I smiled as he lifted the other one and pressed my back against the cold metal.

Nick's lips drifted down to my neck. "Take your hair down," he murmured into my neck.

"Why?"

I could feel him smirk into my neck, even if I couldn't see it. "You're going to need to hide the mark I'm about to give you," he whispered.

* * *

I walked out of the locker room and looked left and right. The coast seemed to be clear so I ran my fingers through my hair and made a move to walk away, but I left a tug on my hand.

I turned around and saw Nick holding my hand, a smile on his lips. "Come back here," he whispered, pulling me close.

I let him pull me, a smile playing on my lips as he planted a soft and gentle kiss on my lips. "You're coming to the pool house tonight, right? After you get home from the after party?"

"Wouldn't miss it," he replied. He planted another kiss on my lips then pulled back. "Now get out of here," he said with a smirk.

I unlinked our hands and smiled. I turned around, but just as I went to walk away, I felt him pat my ass. I turned around to face him again, open-mouthed.

"Oh my gosh, you did not just pat my ass!"

Nick smirked and leaned against the doorjamb. "Maybe I did and maybe I didn't." He chuckled to himself and nodded towards the empty hallway behind me. "You better get going before someone sees you with me."

I was about to ask him if that would be so terrible when I remembered that I was the reason we were sneaking around, not him. I was the one that was trying to protect the exes on both sides. He didn't care. He _wanted_ to be with me in public.

"Come back in five minutes," I said softly, smiling at him over my shoulder.

"Of course," he replied. I felt him watch me as I walked away, and I knew that he was most definitely smirking - it was just the sort of thing he would smirk about.

I entered the gym once more and made my way back to the bleachers, where I saw Demi sitting with Selena further up than she had been when I left. She raised her eyebrows at me as I approached but said nothing.

"Sorry I took so long," I said. "My phonecall took longer than I expected."

Demi raised her eyebrow again when I mentioned the 'phonecall', but again, she said nothing.

"Have you seen Nick?" Selena asked anxiously. "I came in here after I ran into you in the hallway and he left, like, right after I walked in. Do you think he's avoiding me? What if –"

"Selena, calm down," Demi said. She nodded her head down to the gym entrance and smiled. "My delightful brother has finally decided to grace us with his presence."

When Selena was distracted by Nick's entrance, Demi looked up at me and mouthed, "You were together, weren't you?"

I felt my cheeks reddening. I looked down awkwardly, unable to meet her eye. Demi may have been my friend, but I knew that the last thing she wanted to hear about was how good a kisser her twin brother was.

"Hello, ladies."

Oh, dear Lord. It was my worst nightmare. Nick was standing right beside me, smirking, looking right at me. Selena was sitting right there! I saw her brow furrow slightly as she looked between us, but I knew that staring back at him would definitely let her know that there was something to worry about.

"Are you girls having a good night?"

Selena giggled, obviously finding it in her to move on from whatever she was concerned about. "Oh, Nicky, I've been looking for you everywhere! Come sit," she said, budging over. "Hey, Miley, you come and sit too!" She gently pushed Demi's arm, making her move in the opposite direction.

And that was how it happened. I had to awkwardly sit beside Nick only minutes after a _very_ heated make-out session in the boys' locker rooms, wedged between his twin sister and his ex-girlfriend.

"Where did you disappear to?" Selena asked, resting her hand on Nick's knee. "I was looking for you everywhere. I was thinking that maybe we could have a dance."

He sighed slightly. "Selena, I told you last night that we're over," he said in a lowered voice.

She smiled sadly at him. "Can't we have one last dance? Please, Nicky? We were together for a long time. You at least owe me this one last dance, don't you?"

He sighed once again. I could feel his eyes drilling in to me, but I kept my gaze glued to my knees. I didn't want Selena to see the expression of utter horror. After all, I wasn't to give away the game.

"As I was saying," Nick said quickly, clearly sensing how awkward the situation was, "are you having a good night?"

"It's been okay. I'm looking forward to the after party. Gosh, the freshmen are getting so excited. I mean, it's only Homecoming," Demi replied.

Nick smirked. "Watch it. We've got a newbie right here."

"Don't worry, I'm not excited at all by this," I said quickly, looking down at the gym below. Demi was right – the freshmen and the sophomores were excitedly talking to their friends, dancing wildly, laughing and squealing animatedly. I knew that I was probably supposed to be excited by my first ever Homecoming dance, but I wasn't. I was with Demi on wanting to just go to the after party – seniors only.

"I'm glad to hear it," Demi replied, watching the underclassmen in disdain.

I heard Nick chuckle in my right ear. I looked at him and saw him watching me with a look of amusement.

"Can I help you?" I asked sourly.

He didn't reply. He turned to Selena and said, "I kind of need to talk to you at this after party, Sel, okay?"

I looked away, only to be met by Demi and her watchful eyes. "What the _fuck_ is going on?" she hissed, quietly enough that Selena couldn't hear.

I quickly jumped to my feet, grabbing Demi's hand and pulling her with me. "Actually, you guys, I'm kind of thirsty, then I need to go and fix my lip gloss. Excuse us." I dragged her down the bleachers, right down to the refreshment table.

"What's going on, Miley? Could he make it any more obvious that something is happening between you two?"

"Well, as you've guessed, we were together. There was no phonecall. We met up in the boys' locker rooms." I bit my lip and smiled awkwardly. "We might have made out a little bit."

"A little bit? Honey, he walked in here with hair looking like he fell out of a tree and one more button undone than there should have been. You're lucky Selena's not very observant," Demi replied.

I looked back up at the bleachers where Nick was sitting uncomfortably with Selena. She was talking away like nothing had happened, but he was staring directly at me. He smiled slightly down at me and winked.

I blushed and looked away. "You can't tell anybody about this, okay?"

"You mean you're keeping this a secret?"

"It isn't fair on anybody for us both to just jump straight in to this. I need to give it time after the whole Liam thing and he needs to bring Selena around gently to the idea. There are other people to consider in this." I looked up at Selena once more and sighed. "We thought that it would be fairer this way."

"I cannot believe that you're seeing my brother in secret," Demi hissed, her nose crinkling in disgust.

I laughed and shook my head. I felt like all I could do was watch Nick as he awkwardly replied to Selena's questions. Maybe keeping things with Nick a secret from everyone wasn't such a good idea, but what other choice did we have?

* * *

**Hey guys :-) It's been a little while since I last posted, and I'm sorry. School has been hectic (as always) but I'm now off for a week for half-term, so I'm going to try and get a lot of writing down so that between now and Christmas, all I really have to do is check chapters for mistakes and post them.**

**Thanks to any guest reviewers, niley4eva2012, SillyyPandaaGirll, YouSaidForever, xnickslightning, dcshoecousa101, ijustneedyounow, LetItRainx3, MissQueenyB, sd08d1997, the7things, jonasluver4ever21, NileyFreakk, Simar, lifesaclimb11, IWantNiley3.0, FABULOUSmarie, Fatimaaaa and NickJisoffmychain2828. I know I say it a lot, but you're all incredible.**

**If you haven't already, please check out my other story, Like Ships in the Night, and a three-shot I'm working on called Where Did I Go Wrong? I also wrote a one-shot recently based on Wedding Bells (which, may I add, I absolutely adore). If you can, please check all of those out and leave a review :-)**


	15. Chapter 15

The homecoming dance sucked. Demi made me stay until the end, and by then the only seniors left were us, Selena, Nick, his friends and some of the members of the chess club, who, according to Nick, didn't get out very much except for the annual homecoming dance.

Demi and I met with Selena at the front of the school and headed for the car, prepared to go straight to the after-party and drink lots of beer to blur the memory of the awful dance. Well, we had been prepared until Selena remembered that she couldn't drink and drive and Demi and I remembered Denise's words to us about not drinking.

Nick came up behind us and slung his arm over his sister's shoulders. "You know, ladies, that car of yours looks a bit on the cramped side. How about I give one of y'all a ride to the party?" He glanced at me and winked.

Selena smiled gleefully. "That would be –"

"Great! Miley, come on, I'll give you a ride."

"Actually –" Selena began.

"Miley and I have to talk about some things. You know, about the house. I'll catch up with you later, Selena." Nick gestured for me to follow him, rolled his eyes at the back of Selena's head and led me across the parking lot.

"You should just give her a ride, you know," I said softly.

Nick raised an eyebrow at me. "You do realise that she would totally pounce on me if I got in a car with her on my own, right?" He chuckled lightly. He then glanced over his shoulder to make sure that we were out of Selena's eye line and pressed me up against his truck. He smiled slightly as he leaned in closer. "You've been driving me crazy all night. You know that, right?"

I laughed slightly and rested my hands on his shoulders. "I would hardly say I've been driving you _crazy_. And anyway, I thought Selena was supposed to be the one pouncing tonight, not you."

"I'm serious, Miley. That little stunt in the locker rooms has had me thinking about you all night," he replied, his voice lower than before. He slowly started to lean in to kiss me and murmured, "Let's skip the after-party."

"We can't skip it," I whispered back.

"Of course we can. Let's drive to the lake. There's a parking lot there. I'm not saying that we have to do anything, but we could just sit in the back of the truck and talk, if that's what you want," he suggested.

I shook my head and stopped his lips from reaching mine, even though I wanted nothing more than to feel them pressed against mine once again. "We should go. You told Selena that you needed to talk to her, remember?"

He groaned and buried his face into my neck. "I did, didn't I?" He sighed and pulled himself away from me. "Let's go before I change my mind." He opened the passenger door and smiled at me. "Your carriage awaits."

I giggled and got into the car. I waited patiently as he walked around the front and hopped into the driver's seat. "It will be over before you know it," I promised.

"It better be," Nick replied. He reversed the truck and began driving out of the parking lot. "I know that you want to wait before we tell Selena or Liam, but –"

"No, Nick. You can't tell her tonight."

He let out a deep sigh. "Miley, the longer we hide it from her, the more painful this will be for her. I don't want to be the one that has to say to her, 'Hey, Sel, I think you should move on, and by the way, I've been seeing someone else for three weeks.' I know Selena pretty well, and that will hurt her more than finding out in the first place."

"I'm not saying that it has to be as long as three weeks. I just think that it's a bit soon. I mean, this only happened tonight. You can't just come out with it right away and tell her that you've found someone else," I replied.

Nick smirked at me across the car and chuckled. "Miley, I found someone else before I even broke up with her. She knows that I ended things with her for somebody else. Well, not just for that, but you know what I mean. All I'm doing is letting her know who the somebody else is," he said.

"Give me a week. Please, Nick. I mean, I only broke up with Liam yesterday."

He sighed and sat in silence for a moment. Then he muttered, "Fine." He looked at me again and shook his head. "A week, Miley. In a week, I'm going to tell her what's going on."

"A week is all I need."

"Can I at least warm her up to the idea of finding out who it is?"

"If that's what you have to do, go for it."

Nick pulled up on the street of the after party. He parked a few houses away and opened my door for me. "Meet me upstairs in like thirty minutes, okay?" he said as he helped me out. He closed the door, locked the car, winked at me, then disappeared from sight.

I spotted Selena's convertible parked a few houses away. I headed in that direction, assuming that they wouldn't be too far away. I entered the party and looked around. Almost immediately, I spotted Selena downing shots like it was her last night on earth.

"Miley!" she screamed when she saw me.

I approached her with a gentle smile. "Selena. Hey." I glanced at the half-empty bottle of tequila lying on the counter between her and one of the other cheerleaders.

"Want some?" she asked, thrusting the bottle into my hands.

"No, thanks. I don't drink tequila," I replied. I glanced around the room. "Where's Demi?" I asked.

Selena didn't answer, because that was when she saw Nick. "Oh my gosh!" she screeched. "There he is! How do I look?" She turned to me, the relaxed look on her face moments before replaced with one of nervousness and fear.

In her inebriated state, Selena should have looked awful. Her hair should have been matted, her eye make-up should have been smudged all over her face and her dress should have been wrinkled and stained. Instead, Selena still managed to look like a supermodel. Her hair was still perfectly straightened, her make-up was still flawless and her dress still looked as amazing as it had earlier that night.

"You look amazing," I whispered honestly.

Selena smiled gratefully. "My plan is coming together perfectly," she said.

I had forgotten her plan. "Speaking of which - what exactly are you intending on doing tonight?"

Selena ignored the question. "Nick!" she called across the kitchen.

Nick turned around and, unable to escape her without looking like a complete douche, unwillingly walked over to us. "Hey," he said softly. He glanced in my direction quickly then smiled at Selena. "What's up?"

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, her hand resting on his bicep.

He looked around at the large crowds of people. "I don't think this is the place to talk about it, Sel. We'll catch up later, okay?"

"Nick, I –"

"Sorry, Sel, I have to go. I promised that I'd talk to one of the guys from the team." He grabbed a can of Diet Coke from the counter and quickly disappeared from the kitchen.

"What's up with him?" Selena grumbled, drowning her sorrows in yet another shot.

I grabbed the bottle of tequila and moved it away from Selena. "Don't you think you've had enough alcohol, Selena?" I asked carefully, watching her carefully as she struggled to stand straight in her heels, even though she wasn't moving.

Selena rolled her eyes. "Fine," she snapped. She too left the kitchen, stumbling around in search of someone who would give her something to drink.

"This is how she gets over him."

I turned to see Demi standing where the other cheerleader had once been. She smiled over at me and walked around the counter to watch Selena teeter around the hallway on her sky-high heels.

"I hope you're prepared for what's going to happen when she finds out that you're seeing him," she warned.

"We're going to give it a week before we tell her."

"Is that really a good idea?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" I groaned. I looked out at Selena once again and sighed. "I know that she needs to find out sooner rather than later, but if Nick tells Selena, that means that I'll have to call Liam and tell him too. I just think that it's a little insensitive of me to call him and say, 'Hey, I know we broke up yesterday, but I've started seeing Nick.' I'm trying to be fair to everybody."

"And what about Nick?" Demi pointed out the kitchen window that overlooked the backyard. Nick was laughing beside the pool with his friends from the team. "He's been waiting for this since you got here, Miley. Is it really fair to make him hide how happy he is from everybody else?"

"I didn't think that a week would do any harm."

"I think that you need to remember that, if Selena doesn't know that Nick is taken, she's going to keep on trying to get him back. Are you really going to be able to watch Selena throw herself at him while you can't say anything because of this stupid secret?" Demi, like her brother, grabbed a can of Diet Coke and took a sip. "Liam wanted you to be happy here, remember? You need to stop worrying about what's best for him and start thinking about what's best for you and for Nick. Liam's in New York. What's happening here can't affect him as much as it affects you."

I kept my eyes glued to Nick. Sure, he was laughing, but I could tell that he was holding back from his friends. Maybe it was because I had asked him to hide a huge secret from them or maybe it was something else, but I had a feeling that it was something to do with the fact that he couldn't tell them something so big was affecting him more than he had let on in the locker room.

"He's not himself tonight, is he?" I asked softly.

Demi smiled softly and shook her head. "I think that all he wants to do is tell them that he finally has the one thing he wanted the most, but he can't do that." She took a deep breath and looked over at me. "You really need to fix this. Whether you decide to start telling people or whether you decide to keep the secret, Nick is my brother and he doesn't look happy. I want him to be happy, Miley."

"How can we tell people when I don't even know whether I'm his girlfriend or not?"

She shrugged. "Ask him. I know my brother, and I know that he would prefer for you to be direct with him rather than wondering something and letting it drive you insane thinking about it."

I glanced at the time on my phone and sighed. I looked out the window again and saw that Nick had disappeared from sight. I took that as my queue to leave.

"I better go. You know, mingle."

Demi scoffed. "Honey, please. Don't lie to me. I know _exactly_ where you're going. I don't necessarily want to hear about it, but I know." She then winked and walked away, giggling softly.

I slipped through the hoards of people and made my way slowly up the stairs. I glanced down at my phone and saw a message from Nick, telling me to go down the hallway.

I made my way down past the closed doors. Suddenly, I felt a hand wrap around my forearm and yank me into one of the bedrooms.

I squealed softly whenever the door slammed shut behind me and I was pressed against it. I laughed when I saw Nick grinning at me, his eyes glistening with delight.

"I've been waiting for you," he whispered. Taking my hands, he walked backwards and led me over to the bed, where he sat down and pulled me down on to his lap. "I might have mentioned this once or twice already, but you look amazing tonight."

I smiled gently at him. "Thank you. You're certainly working that outfit yourself."

"'Working that outfit'? What is this, the 90's?" he teased.

"Shut up," I replied, laughing. I wrapped my arms around his neck and bit my lip slightly. "I've been thinking about the whole thing …"

"Yes?"

"What are we?"

He traced shapes on my knee, not looking directly at me. "We are whatever you want us to be."

I sighed. "Nick, I've been with guys before who have left it to me to decide where the relationship goes, and the relationship never worked out well. Take Liam and me as a key example. I've been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt. I need you to tell me what you want."

"You know what I want, Miley. I want you to be my girlfriend, but is it really fair on you to expect you to be my girlfriend the day after you stopped being Liam's?"

I shrugged and rested my hand on his shoulder. "No, probably not. But you don't have to expect it of me. I _want_ to be your girlfriend."

He grinned up at me and linked our hands, intertwining our fingers. "You do, huh?" He placed a soft kiss on my jawline.

"Don't make me change my mind," I joked. I looked down at him again and sighed. "And about keeping this thing a secret … I've changed my mind. Clearly you're not happy hiding this from your friends, and I'm okay with that."

"Miley, if this is because of what I said about wanting to tell Selena –"

"This has nothing to do with Selena. I was talking to Demi, actually. She said that, watching you, you didn't look happy because you were holding something back. I don't want to ask that of you. So go ahead and tell people, if that's what will make you happy," I said.

Nick shook his head. "But Selena and Liam –"

"Will learn to cope."

He smiled. "You're pretty awesome, you know that?"

I smiled back and leaned in, kissing him slowly on the lips. His hands slipped down from the middle of my back to my waist while mine returned to their previous position around his neck.

We were just getting into it when we heard shouting from the hallway.

"Nick! Nicky, where are you?"

"Shit," Nick murmured, leaning his forehead into my neck. "That's Selena." He looked up at me. "I really want to tell her, but I guess it isn't the right time when she's completely wasted, huh?"

"Probably not," I replied. "I can't get out of here without her seeing me. What am I supposed to do?"

Nick glanced around the room. "This sounds kind of crazy, but hide in the closet, okay? I'll get rid of her." He listened carefully to Selena's calls as they grew closer.

I jumped off his lap and quickly made my way around the bed. I pulled the closet door open and stepped in, closing it quietly behind me. Less than a minute later, the bedroom door burst open and Selena stumbled in.

"Nicky!" she slurred. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Haven't you had enough to drink, Selena?"

"Tay-Tay got my tequila back for me," Selena replied. "Anyway, what are you doing on your own up here?"

"I'm waiting for somebody."

"Me?"

I heard Nick sigh. "Sel, I told you at the bonfire and at the dance that we're over. We aren't going to get back together. Not this time." I listened closely as the old bed creaked slightly from under him as he stood up. "Things are different this time. You can do so much better."

"How can I do better than you, baby?"

"You need to find somebody that treats you the way you deserve to be treated, Selena."

"You treated me the way I deserve to be treated."

Nick chuckled. "I broke you over and over, and you still think that you deserved it? Geez, Demi was right when she said I could do no wrong with you." He sighed again, and I listened as the wooden floor squeaked under his shoes. "I'm moving on, Selena."

"With who?"

There was a sharp intake of breath from him. "Let's leave that for another night. Preferably one where you're sober and will actually remember what I'm saying to you."

I listened closely as Selena stumbled out of the room once again, muttering under her breath about schemes to get Nick back.

He came over and pulled the closed door open. "Got rid of her," he said simply.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded. "She needs to be eased into the idea, but once she's sobered up and I've told her everything, she'll cope."

I let him wrap his arms around me and engulf me into a hug, but all I could think about was Selena and how hurt she would be by all of this. It was fine for Liam – he was hundreds of miles away, safe in the knowledge that he would never have to see me with someone else, at least not while he was still healing from the break-up. Selena, on the other hand, had to watch as the only boy she had ever been serious with moved on with the new girl in town. I definitely didn't want to be in the room when Nick told her the truth.

* * *

**My whole writing ahead of time thing didn't go very well, but I did get one or two chapters done, so it's just a matter of reading over everything and posting it when I have time. I start school again tomorrow after my break, and the time from now until Christmas is going to be really hectic, so there's a warning well in advance.**

**Thanks to MnM16, dcshoecousa101, JDBFavoriteGurl, NileyBliss (Happens to me all the time!), SillyyPandaaGirll, GottaLoveJBs10, lifeswhatyoumakeit101, xnickslightning (Can I just say I love your username? Haha, that is so random and idk why but I just do), LetItRainx3, YouSaidForever, ijustneedyounow, FABULOUSmarie, MissQueenyB, jonasluver4ever21, sd08d1997, lifesaclimb11, Simar, IWantNiley3.0, NileyFreakk and NickJisoffmychain2828 for your reviews :-)**


	16. Chapter 16

"Why do you let me drink at parties?"

I looked up from my magazine and watched Selena as she dragged her feet in Demi's direction, grumbling about her killer hangover. In the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Nick backing away from the kitchen door and creeping back up the stairs without Selena noticing before focusing my attention on the girls across the counter from me.

"Coffee," she demanded.

Demi raised her eyebrows. "You've been here before. You know where everything is. Get your own coffee."

"I feel kind of weird making my own way around your house now that Nick and I have broken up, you know?" Selena sighed dramatically and poured herself a cup of coffee almost full to the brim. She put in three sugars and took a large gulp.

"You really need to get over this break-up thing," Demi said softly, glancing quickly at me.

"I know I do. It's just so hard when you've spent such a long time with someone." She looked over at me and said, "You were with Liam for a while, right? And he was such a nice guy. How did you just fall out of love with him?"

"Most people fall out of love because they were never really _in_ love in the first place," I replied. "I guess it was just that Liam and I weren't as perfect for each other as I thought we were."

Selena shook her head. "Nick and I were definitely in love. I didn't just lose my virginity to him and not fall in love with him. You don't spend that amount of time with someone and then suddenly realise that maybe it wasn't really love to begin with. Why would he just decide that he doesn't want to be with me anymore?"

Demi looked over at me awkwardly. "Miley is right, Sel. Sometimes we think that it's love when really, we just want to believe that it is." She took a sip of coffee and leaned back slightly in her chair. "Things between you and Nick have never exactly been peachy, have they?"

"Of course they haven't, but name one couple we know who has a perfect relationship."

"Justin and –"

"Wrong. They broke up."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?" Demi said. She was clearly trying to divert the conversation away from Nick. I was hardly going to stop her.

"Nick and I were definitely in love," Selena repeated, ignoring Demi. She gazed out the kitchen window into the backyard, as if Paul's neatly manicured lawn would present the answers. "We were together for a long time. He was my first everything, you know? When you guys moved here, everything seemed to fit once I got together with him."

"Maybe that's because you don't know any different."

"I doubt that that's the reason," she giggled. Selena leaned over and grabbed her car keys from the counter. "I better head home. My mom has a doctor's appointment and I promised I'd take her. My step-dad's out of town again and she needs some emotional support, you know?"

"Your mom has a doctor's appointment on a Sunday?"

Selena bit her lip and shrugged. "Only free spot," she mumbled, looking away. She lifted her hand and waved quickly over her shoulder as she walked out into the hall and out of the house.

"You tell my brother that he better tell Selena soon or else I will," Demi growled.

"You can tell me yourself."

Demi spun around in her seat and came face-to-face with the man himself. Nick was leaning against the kitchen door, watching her warily. He sauntered in and poured himself a cup of coffee. He then pulled himself up onto the counter and smiled at his sister weakly.

"Something you want to say to me, sis?"

"You may be my twin brother, Nick, but so help me God, if you two don't fix this mess with Selena, I will –"

"Yeah yeah, I get it. I have to tell Selena, and I will. I just think it would be better if we were alone and she didn't have a killer hangover." He ran his hand over his hair, smoothing it down, and grinned over at Demi. "I know it's killing you to keep a secret from your own personal queen."

"She is not my queen."

"Please, you've worshipped her ever since we moved here." Nick chuckled and looked at me. "Good morning, sunshine," he greeted with a wink.

"Hey handsome." I grinned back at him.

"Oh my goodness, please stop talking before I throw up," Demi interrupted. "This is ridiculous."

"I don't see what's so ridiculous about it."

Demi raised her eyebrows at her brother and folded her arms firmly across her chest. "The ridiculous part is that you two are sneaking around and calling each other 'sunshine' and 'handsome' when you've only been together for about twelve hours."

"It's been building up for a bit more than twelve hours," he replied. "I know you're jealous that she might take my attention away from you, sis, but don't get too upset – I'll always have time for my baby sister."

"I'm not your baby sister. I'm seven minutes older!" Demi hissed, shoving Nick's arm roughly.

I looked between them and smiled. They didn't seem that close to anyone until you lived in a house with them and saw their banter and their conversations. Nick told Demi things that he wouldn't dream of telling anyone else, and vice versa.

Nick chuckled and wrapped his arm around Demi. "You make it so easy, you know that?" He looked up at me and smiled. "Do you want to go for a walk later? We could head down to the lake."

"Oh my gosh, I cannot believe you're taking her to the spot you took Selena to make out."

"Shut up!" Nick snapped, punching Demi in the arm. "I didn't take Selena there to make out. I just like it out by the lake, okay?"

"Only because it's secluded and you could totally rape and murder girls if you wanted to."

"I'm your brother. Do you honestly think I would murder girls?"

"I'd love to go for a walk," I said quickly, interrupting the conversation before either one of them said something they were bound to regret. "Let's go after lunch. Are you talking to Selena today?"

"I was thinking about waiting until school tomorrow."

"Bad idea," Demi advised. "Selena _hates_ being told bad news in public. You know how she is. She overreacts and it completely embarrasses her when she starts screaming and shouting at you in the middle of the cafeteria."

"Who says it would the cafeteria? We have study period together."

"Even worse," I said. "Who wants to be told by their ex-boyfriend that they've moved on so quickly in the middle of a quiet room? If she doesn't want to be embarrassed in the cafeteria, study period in the library is even worse."

"I can't tell her today."

"Why not?"

"She's taking her mom to a doctor's appointment. I heard everything from the stairs. Her mom is having her first baby other than Selena. It's a big day for Sel. I can't ruin it for her by telling her that I've moved on."

Demi rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure she's not going to a doctor's appointment. How many times have you gone to the doctor on a Sunday? Besides you're the one who wanted to tell her that you're dating Miley."

"I want to tell her on my own terms."

I looked at him and shook my head. "It's fine. You should get to tell Selena when it's the right time." I shifted my focus to Demi and said, "Just let him find the right time and then he'll tell her. Right, Nick?"

"Of course."

"Problem solved and crisis averted," I said, pulling myself up on to the counter opposite Nick. I smiled at him. "I should probably call Liam soon, huh?"

"Only if you want to."

"It's not something I'm looking forward to, but I know I have to do it."

I had gotten one single text from Liam since he arrived in New York again, and all it had said was that his flight had landed safely. It hurt to see how distant his words were, but I had known that being distant was what he needed to stop his pride from being hurt any more than it already was.

Nick nodded. "Whatever you think," he said. He smirked and glanced at Demi. "Dem, head out to the pool house."

"I'm not moving," she snapped.

Nick raised his eyebrow at her and jumped from the counter to the floor. "Fine then. Miley and I will." He grasped my hand tightly, pulled me down from the counter and rushed out the back door.

We entered the pool house, Nick slamming the door shut behind him, and at last we were alone.

"Good morning," he whispered, leaning his forehead against mine.

I smiled back and purred, "Good morning." I leaned in to kiss him, but then suddenly pulled back, clasping my hand tightly over my mouth and shaking my head.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Morning breath," I murmured.

He laughed and pulled me closer. "If it makes you feel better, I didn't even notice." He tried to kiss me again, but I slipped out of his grasp, making him laugh again.

"Just let me brush my teeth," I said, dashing off to the bathroom.

"Miley, I really don't care about your breath."

"You say that now, but just wait until you're kissing me and all you can think about is how bad my breath smells!" I called, grabbing my toothbrush and quickly squeezing some toothpaste on the bristles.

He leaned against the bathroom door, watching me impatiently as I quickly ran the brush along the rows of teeth. I could feel his eyes on me as I spat it out and washed my mouth out.

I turned around to face him and smiled. "Much better. You'll see."

"Thank the Lord," he whispered, slowly approaching me. He put his hands on my hips and pulled me closer before slowly and deliberately kissing me, his touch soft and gentle. He hoisted me easily on to the counter and stood between my legs, keeping his hands firmly on my hips and pulling me as close to him as possible.

Before Nick, I had no idea that somebody's touch could drive me so insane. Sure, Liam had always made me feel special and he paid attention to me and my, shall we say, needs. But being with Nick was a completely different experience. If kissing him felt so amazing, I didn't even want to consider how astounding sex could be with him.

He pulled away and smirked at me softly. "Remind me why we waited so long for this?"

I smacked his chest playfully and laughed. "Maybe because we were both already in relationships?"

Nick grinned and pulled me even closer, resting his hands under my thighs. "Oh yeah, now I remember." His face was so close to mine that I could have kissed him if I wanted to, but I was in the mood for playing a game.

He leaned up to my lips, but I pulled my head away. "You can't just kiss me whenever you want," I murmured, keeping my face close to his.

Nick groaned and pulled me closer again. "Miley …"

I cupped his cheek with my hand and put our faces so close together that all he had to do was lean forward a few millimetres more and our lips would have been touching. "What happened to talking in a relationship, huh?"

"We do enough talking with my sister around," he breathed in response.

"Maybe I want to talk now." It was taking everything in me to resist leaning forward and putting him out of his misery.

"And do you want to talk right now?"

"I might."

Nick smirked and pulled back. I could tell that he knew exactly what I was doing. "Okay then, let's talk," he said, stepping back. He leaned against the tile wall behind him and folded his arms across his chest. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Sometimes I miss how things used to me in New York with Liam." I knew it was a bit of a low blow, but I also knew that it would bring him right back over to the counter.

"How so?"

I noticed how he twitched slightly at the mention of Liam, so I smiled and replied, "Well, I just kind of miss a big muscular guy around, you know? He may not have been on the football team back home, but he worked out _a lot_."

Nick took a step closer, right back where I wanted him. "I saw that guy, and he did not work out," he scoffed.

"Oh, he definitely did."

He took another step closer. I stretched my legs out and wound one around his waist playfully. I gently nudged him closer with it and wound the other one around as well.

"I know what you're doing," Nick said, but his voice sounded stressed. I knew exactly what he wanted to do. He just didn't want to be the one to admit defeat by giving in first.

"What exactly am I doing?" I asked. I rested my hand on his bicep and ran my hand down it. "Hm, Liam's were definitely bigger. You should work out a little bit more, you know."

Nick clearly couldn't take it anymore. He pulled my body close to his and kissed me abruptly, a lot less gently and lovingly than the last one. And through that kiss, I knew that, no matter what I did wrong or how many mistakes I made, Nick would be there to help me pick up the pieces, because now that we were together, he was starting to feel the exact same way for me as I was for him – putty in one another's hands.

* * *

**I apologise for the bad ending to this chapter. Please check out my three-shot, Where Did I Go Wrong? I'm going to post the third and final part either tomorrow or next weekend, so keep an eye out for that.**

**Thank you to niley4eva2012, Fatimaaa, NileyBliss, misfitdreams, MnM16, xnickslightning, jonasluver4ever21, nileyfan, YouSaidForever, ijustneedyounow, s, NickJisoffmychain2828, GottaLoveJBs10, MissQueenyB, NileyFreakk, IWantNiley3.0 and Guest for your reviews. As usual, they encouraged me to actually get my laptop, check the chapter for mistakes and post. You people are amazing.**


	17. Chapter 17

I spent the entire day at school on Monday counting down the minutes until lunch. Even if I couldn't go over to Nick and act like we were actually together, it felt good to know that I could look over at him and know that everything was settled between us.

The bell rang and I grabbed my things, racing out the hall to my locker. I practically knocked Selena to the ground as I rounded a corner and walked straight into her.

"Wow, Miley, where are you heading?" she laughed, picking up her History textbook.

"I'm sorry," I sighed, helping her by picking up the spare sheets of paper that had flown from inside the textbook. "I guess I'm hungry."

"Don't worry, there's food for everybody," she teased. Selena took the sheets from me and smiled gratefully. "So, come to the cafeteria with me," she said as she began to lead the way. "How has your day been so far?"

"It's been good," I lied. I couldn't exactly tell her that I had been thinking all day about her ex-boyfriend, who she still wasn't fully over.

We entered the cafeteria. I watched as Selena made her way over to the line for food. To avoid any more awkward conversations, I walked over to where Demi was sitting and took the chair beside her.

I looked across the table and noticed Nick sitting with his friends at the table behind ours. When he saw me, he smirked and winked. I rolled my eyes and looked away, blushing slightly.

"You two don't need to make it so obvious," Demi murmured under her breath.

"I'm not making it obvious!"

"Fine then. Tell my brother to stop winking at you before people notice."

"Good afternoon, ladies."

I looked up and saw that Nick had sat down in the space between two of the girls from the cheerleading squad. He smirked over at me, and I felt him nudge my leg with his foot.

"Nicholas," Demi said coldly.

"You're in Selena's spot," one of the girls spat harshly.

Nick rolled his eyes at her and said, "If it's such a problem, there are plenty of other tables for you to go to." He then focused his attention back on us. "We need to talk," he said. He made it seem like he was speaking to both of us, but I knew that he had directed it at me.

"Okay," I said softly.

He smiled and nodded. "Great. Hey, Miley, I'll give you a ride home, alright?" He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Selena was paying for her food. "I better go before she sees me sitting here. I'll see you later, ladies."

I watched as Nick jumped up from the seat and quickly dodged Selena's gaze as he dove back to his table with the rest of the football players.

Selena slammed her tray down on the table and made an aggravated noise. "The guys at this school make me so damn angry. I mean, I was just getting a basket of fries and of course one of the basketball team tries to hit on me while I do it."

Demi raised her eyebrows. "Isn't that what you wanted? A distraction to help you get over Nick?"

I glanced over Selena's shoulder at Nick, who was laughing merrily, as she said, "I did. I mean, I do. I just don't want basketball players hitting on me while I'm trying to get my lunch. God, I hate this place. High school is such a drag."

"Come on, Sel. High school has treated you well - a lot better than most of the people at this school. You know that," Demi said.

Selena rolled her eyes. "It had been until this year. It's my senior year and I got dumped by my boyfriend. I thought we were going to try and make things work long distance next fall, but he just ended it before we even got to try."

I watched Nick get up from his seat and wink at me as he once again began to walk over to our table. He leaned down and said softly in Selena's ear, "Can we talk privately for a second?"

"Nick," Demi warned, her eyes widening.

"Stop it, Demi," Nick growled. He turned his attention back to Selena. "This is important. I owe you an explanation."

"I have all the explanation I need," she replied stiffly, but I knew as well as she did that she needed so much more than what Nick had already given her.

"This isn't negotiable, Selena," he hissed.

Selena pushed her tray away and turned to look at him. "What do you have to say that's so important that you can't say it right here? I mean, you know that I'm just going to tell my friends as soon as I get back, so what's the point in leaving the table?"

He looked around the cafeteria nervously. "This really isn't the right place for that conversation, Selena, okay? We need to do this privately."

"Just stop procrastinating and tell me!" she snapped.

Nick sighed and closed his eyes. "I can't tell you here, Selena."

"You tell me right now, Nicholas, or so help me God …"

He slammed his hand down on the table. "I'm trying to help you out here, Selena. Just come out into the damn hallway with me so we can do this in private."

Even though Nick was losing his cool, Selena wasn't moving. If he was stubborn, she was twice as bad. She folded her arms across her chest and looked up at him expectantly. "I'm waiting," she said.

"Fine. If you don't want to do this privately then fine. Let's do this right here." Nick leaned in close to her and said as quietly and as coolly as possible, "I'm seeing somebody else."

Selena's face fell and her shoulders slumped. Her complexion paled. Her eyes filled with tears as her grip on the table tightened. "Who?" she whispered.

He tensed up slightly. "I can't tell you that here."

"WHO THE HELL IS IT?"

Nick looked down at the ground, clearly embarrassed that everyone had turned their attention to where we all were. "I'm not having that conversation with you here, Selena. I only told you because you refused to do this privately."

"Get out of my sight," she growled.

"Selena …"

"I mean it, Nick. Get out of here before I punch you in the face and break your fucking nose."

He backed away from the table, his hands held up in surrender. He caught my eye and tried to smile, but I could see the worry in his eyes as he turned around and began to make his way out in to the hallway from the cafeteria.

Selena turned back to the table and calmly reached for her bottle of water. "Ladies, I think you know what we have to do."

Demi's eyes widened even more. "Selena, come on. It isn't like you haven't –"

"Shut up," Selena snapped. "That is completely different, okay? He's been doing this for years. He can't just dump me and then tell me he's seeing somebody else. It just doesn't work like that, okay? I'm the one who's ending things for good in this relationship, not him."

"What do we have to do?" I asked nervously, referring to the first thing Selena said.

She looked up at me and smiled. The smile was so relaxed that it was almost chilling. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked me. "We're going to take that bitch down and show her for what she really is."

Demi glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and asked, "And what would that be?"

"A thieving slut."

"This isn't middle school, Sel. You can't call someone a thieving slut just because Nick has decided that he's bored of all this drama you two have. This has only ever been some sick game to him, and you know that," Demi replied, trying to cool the situation down. "Besides, you can't say it's thieving as though Nick is your property or something. He's a human being."

"This is _different_! Before, he played games because he knew he could get me back whenever he wanted. Now, he's screwing this up for no reason at all. I need to find this girl and tell her that she can't just mess with his head and expect nothing to happen," Selena replied.

I looked around the cafeteria and noticed that everyone's eyes were still on Selena, clearly excited to see if she would start yelling again. After all, she and Nick had been the school's power-couple for years. When they broke up, everyone was excited to see what would happen between them.

"Sel …"

"This isn't up for discussion, Demi. We're finding this bitch and we're getting rid of her." Selena stood up and picked up her tray. "This girl is going down." She then turned around and made her way towards the exit, her flock of cheerleaders trailing behind her, trying to console her over Nick moving on already.

"I'll try and knock her off the scent, but I'm not sure if I can distract her for long," Demi whispered in a hushed tone.

I shook my head. "She's going to find out eventually. There's no point in her getting mad at you too."

"Miley, I don't think you understand what Selena is capable of."

"No, I think that I do."

"No, you really don't. In junior year, Nick made out with a freshman at a party at our house when my parents were away. Selena found this girl in the bathrooms the Monday after and made her life so much like hell that the girl almost had to move schools." Demi reached out and touched my arm. "Miley, I know that I was all for telling her the truth, but I didn't think she would get this angry about it. You and Nick need to keep this from her for as long as possible."

"We can't keep it from her now. You know as well as I do that she is going to find out who's dating Nick no matter what. Trying to prevent that is completely pointless."

Demi stood up and motioned for me to join her. We quickly exited the cafeteria and she led me out into the empty courtyard. She sat down on a wall and pulled me down beside her.

"Miley, you need to –"

"Miley!"

I looked up and saw Nick coming towards us from the same doors we had just come through. He was taking long strides. He looked so stressed that I just wanted to take him back out to his car and talk it all out with him.

He reached us and sighed. "Has she worked it out yet?"

"No," Demi replied. "What the hell have you done? I told you not to do this in public, Nick! Do you have any idea how much trouble Miley is in right now because of your bright idea?"

"She has to find out eventually, okay? I can't keep this a secret forever."

"If you hadn't screwed Selena around so much in the first place then maybe she wouldn't think that all of this is just a game!"

Nick took a step closer to Demi. "You have no idea what you're talking about," he snarled at his twin sister.

"Don't I? Because I'm pretty sure that I was the one who held Selena while she cried after seeing you making out with girl after girl while you were supposed to be with her!" Demi snapped.

"Stop it!" I hissed. "Both of you, please just stop this. Shouting at each other isn't going to solve anything here, is it?"

He looked at me and nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. Look, I'll take Selena aside tomorrow and –"

"No. That's not a good idea," Demi interrupted. "According to Selena, she's going to 'take this bitch down'. Telling her that it's Miley while the hurt is still fresh is only going to make things worse for everybody."

Nick sat down beside me and buried his face in his hands. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Demi stood up as soon as Nick sat down and looked down at him. "You're going to let Selena cool down, and then you are gently going to tell her that you don't feel for her in the way you used to. You are going to let her know that you and Miley are together now, and that you're happy."

"You said it yourself. Miley's going to be in a hell of a lot of trouble now."

"Well, what else do you intend to do? _You_ said that you didn't want to keep you two a secret any longer._ You're_ the one who insisted on telling Selena that you're seeing somebody else in a packed cafeteria," she said.

"Demi's right," I said quietly. "You need to let Selena cool down, and then you need to tell her everything."

"Miley, I can't let you take the heat for this. This is all my fault," Nick whispered.

"I'm the one who stole her boyfriend, remember?"

Nick smiled. "Miley, Selena and I were screwed up long before you came along. You didn't steal anything from her. All you did was stop trying to keep everybody else happy for your own sake."

I stood up, taking my place at Demi's side, and looked down at him. "Give it a week, okay? Tell her then."

He looked up at us and shook his head. "I can't keep this a secret for another week."

"Look, stop being an indecisive little shit, okay?" Demi said. "We've decided everything for you. You give it a week. You keep your secret for a week, then once things have cooled down with Selena, feel free to tell her. But make it private this time, okay, buddy?"

"We better go," I said softly to Demi. I looked at Nick and smiled. "Are you still offering that ride home?"

Nick smiled. For the first time in that lunch hour, it was genuine. He nodded. "There's always room for you in my car. You know that."

"Oh my gosh, you've only been dating since Homecoming and you already make me want to throw up. How the hell am I supposed to survive until graduation?" Demi grabbed my arm and nodded her head towards the school building. "We need to find Selena before she gets suspicious."

I made my way closer to the door and looked back at Nick. Demi was hugging him. I heard her say, "I know I'm being hard on you about this, but I'm your sister. I'm only trying to do what's best for you."

They both pulled away from the hug, and Demi jogged over to join me. "Let's go," she said softly.

I looked back at Nick one last time. His eyes were glued to the ground. Feeling my gaze on him, he looked up and smiled reassuringly. I couldn't help but wonder if the smile was to reassure himself more than me.

* * *

**It's all coming to a head now, huh? I'm going to be ending this story soon. There will be no sequel. Actually, I might not start another story for a little while. I might just post oneshots and things as well as working on my other story, Like Ships in the Night, for a little while instead, and then get started on a new story sometime next year.**

**I know that the last chapter was a little bit of a filler, but it's building up to the end now.**

**Thanks for your reviews, everybody :-)**


	18. Chapter 18

Demi and I were lying beside the pool, talking about the week. It was Saturday, and Selena still didn't know about Nick and me. Nick had been torn between telling her and keeping it a secret for a little longer, but he had decided on Thursday that he would take her to dinner and talk calmly to her about it.

Selena entered the backyard and looked at the pool, where Nick was swimming his daily laps. She smiled slightly while she watched him, the muscles in his arms, back and legs working hard as he propelled himself through the water.

"Happy Saturday, ladies," she said, sitting down on the end of Demi's sun lounger. "Nice view, isn't it?"

Demi rolled her eyes. "Sel, he told you that it's over. Can you please just accept that?"

"If it's over, why did he invite me out to dinner tonight?"

Demi looked over at me with raised eyebrows, but Selena didn't notice. "He already told you – there's something he needs to tell you."

"And that 'something' is that he regrets ever breaking up with me and wants me back." Selena sighed happily and watched Nick gliding through the water, oblivious to what was going on. "I'm thinking I should make him work for it, but not too hard, you know?"

Demi opened her mouth to say something, but I shook my head to stop her. It was bad enough that Nick had ended things. We didn't need to make it worse by yelling at her.

Nick emerged from the water and finally noticed that Selena was there.

"Looking good, Nicky!" she called, winking.

"Way to make him work for it," Demi muttered, rolling her eyes.

He smiled awkwardly and nodded. "Thanks." He glanced between the three of us and said, "I didn't know you were coming over, Sel. Dem never said anything."

"It was just a spur of the moment thing, you know."

Demi raised her eyebrows. "You two are going out to dinner tonight though, right? Why did you come over if you're going to see him later?"

"But I came to see you, Dem! And Miley, of course."

I didn't say anything. My name was clearly an afterthought, but what good was pointing that out going to do? Fighting with Selena was not a good idea, especially because I knew exactly what was going to come.

"Anyway, I better get going. It was just a flying visit," Selena said, standing up. She looked Nick up and down appreciatively before turning around and walking off. She waved over her shoulder and disappeared around the side of the house and out of sight.

"I can't do this on my own," Nick muttered, making sure she wasn't lurking. "I need somebody else there when I tell her."

"You're kidding, right? You don't expect Miley to be there too, do you? Selena will rip her head off!" Demi hissed. She looked at Nick and folded her arms across her chest. "You got yourself into this mess, bro."

"It wasn't like I planned this. I didn't ask Miley's parents to send her down here this year, did I?" He glanced at me, realising what he said and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

I shook my head and smiled. "I know. I know what you meant." I looked at Demi. "Maybe we should go and make sure that things go okay."

"We can't eavesdrop on their dinner, Miles."

"Sure we can. We can just make sure that nobody sees us."

Demi's face lit up. "Oh my gosh, can we go in disguise like in the movies? I've always wanted to do that!"

"Not too over the top. Selena isn't stupid," Nick warned.

She raised her eyebrows at him. That seemed to be her favourite facial expression. "Selena is my best friend in the whole world, you know that. But that also means that I know better than anybody that Sel isn't the brightest of the bunch, is she? If I walked in on stilts, she wouldn't hardly notice as long as she was at a table with you."

Nick shook his head. "Whatever you girls want. Just make sure Selena doesn't see you. I need to know that you'll only step in if things get out of hand."

"You can trust us," Demi assured him calmly. She leaned back in her seat and smiled. "I'm your twin, remember? Twins are always there for each other. We made that pact when we were kids."

"You two made a pact?"

Nick's cheeks flushed. "It was more –"

"It was a pact," Demi interrupted. "These kids down the street were pushing me around when we first moved here. Nick saw and came down to us and told them that if they ever put a finger on me ever again, he would beat the crap out of them. We got back to the house and made a pact that we would always look out for each other, no matter what." She looked at her brother and smiled. "See, was it so hard to admit to her that you actually care about your sister?"

He rolled his eyes and nudged her gently. "I'm going to go and shower up before I meet Selena at the diner. I mean it, you two. Low key." He winked at me and leaned over to whisper, "Pool house tonight?"

I nodded and watched as he walked across the lawn to the house.

"You have that boy so whipped, you know."

I spun around to face Demi, who was beaming at her brother's retreating figure. "What are you talking about?"

"You're all he thinks about."

I tried not to smile back at her and stood up. "Let's just figure out these disguises, okay?"

* * *

Demi and I left the house ten minutes after Nick did. We took her mom's car and followed him. We parked in the back corner of the lot at the diner. We waited until they went in and ran across the parking lot. We slipped into a booth behind theirs while Selena was at the bathroom.

Nick peered over the divide and grinned. "I thought I said not too over the top," he hissed.

Demi tipped her hat at him and smirked. "We thought you'd like it."

I removed my sunglasses and looked at Demi. She was wearing a fedora she had found in the downstairs closet, tilted to cover her face. My hat was an oversized bowler hat, which was tilted in the same fashion. She, like me, was wearing oversized sunglasses to cover her eyes, and we were both wearing oversized trench coats.

"You look like creepy old guys who should be standing outside a teenage girl's window."

I snorted with laughter and winked at him before putting my sunglasses back on. "Relax, Nick. Just focus on telling Selena everything, okay? Everybody turn around, she's coming!"

Demi and I grabbed our menus and covered our faces with them while Nick quickly whirled around and pretended to be engrossed in his own menu.

Selena slipped into the booth in the seat opposite Nick. "Hey. Miss me?"

I heard Nick sigh. "Can we please not flirt tonight? We need to have a serious conversation for once."

"All we ever seem to do now is have a serious conversation! Gosh, Nick, you used to be _fun_. Ever since we broke up, all you've been is grim," she replied.

"I need to tell you about the girl I met, Sel."

"I don't want to hear this," she murmured.

Nick's menu hit the table as he dropped it and ran his hands through his hair. "This isn't easy for me, but I think you need to know. I need you to know that I didn't break up with you for her. Sure, she was a factor in the situation, but she wasn't the main reason. You and I were falling apart long before I met her."

"If you're going to tell me about this girl, then just fucking get it over with."

"I need you to understand everything first. I didn't want anything to happen with her. I tried so hard to make sure that nothing happened, but I couldn't stop it. We tried to stay away from each other, we did, but I couldn't –"

"I don't want the fucking back story, Nick. Just tell me what you want to tell me."

He was interrupted by the waitress. They only ordered drinks – apparently their dinner plans had been pushed aside. He was clearly too nervous to eat and she had obviously lost her appetite at the thought of hearing about his new girlfriend.

"She was seeing somebody else and I was seeing you, but there was this … attraction between us, I guess. I tried so hard, Sel, I really did. I don't want to hurt you, but this thing between us isn't doing anybody any good. I hurt you and yet you take me back every time. It isn't healthy," Nick said.

I heard Selena growl under her breath. "Will you please just tell me the truth and tell me who this girl is?"

"She –"

"Who the fuck is she?" Selena snapped.

"It's Miley," he blurted.

There was a tense silence. Nick exhaled, clearly regretting the way he had told her. Selena was worryingly quiet – she was never that quiet. I heard her fingers drumming anxiously against the hard table-top.

"Miley?" she breathed. "As in the Miley that's living in your pool house?"

Nick said nothing, which I could only take to mean that he was nodding at her question.

She slammed her palm down on the table. "Dammit, Nick. She's living in your _pool house_. She's leaving at the end of the year, maybe even before! What are you going to do when she heads back to New York, huh? Because she isn't going to wait around for some small-town jock who's going nowhere, you know that, right?"

"How can you even say that? I'm almost guaranteed a scholarship next year, Selena."

"Your football won't get you a job. You can't get through college on sports alone, Nick. What if you get injured? What if you're only as good as you are in the suburbs? You aren't getting past Texas and you know that, but her? She has a life in New York that she won't hesitate to go back to, and you're not going to follow her because that just isn't who you are."

"It's our senior year, Sel. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun. She came to town and I _like_ her, okay? It isn't like we're still together or anything," Nick replied defensively.

"This place is as good as you're going to get, Nick. You see the guy that's flipping burgers behind that counter? He was in your position three years ago. He was captain of the football team and he lost everything on an injury. You really want to be in that position?"

"What has this got to do with Miley?"

"It has _everything_ to do with her! Because once she graduates, she's going back to New York and she isn't going to look back at the guy she dated during senior year. _I _will be here. _You_ will be here. We're stuck here, but her? She's leaving the second she has the chance," Selena spat. I could hear her voice thickening as she tried to hold back tears.

"It isn't like that, Selena!"

"Isn't it? She has what she wants – you. But all you are is some kind of toy."

Demi leaned across the table to me. "Maybe we should go," she whispered.

"We can't," I murmured back. "She'll see us." I leaned my head against the divide to listen into the conversation. "We have to wait until they go."

I listened carefully as Nick sighed. "This isn't some serious thing, Sel. It isn't like Miley and I are engaged. Hell, you and I weren't even serious. If we were as serious as we let on we were, we couldn't have screwed around with each other's heads so much. We're practically kids. It isn't like we're settling down. We're going to college next year, and whether you want to admit it or not, we don't have to be stuck here forever. We can go wherever we want to after graduation. You could even go to London and nobody could stop you. Because graduating means growing up, Selena, and to grow up, we need to let go of this ridiculous thing we have and move on. We need to live a little before we get to college and look back at high school thinking that it was just this big blur of mistakes."

"You were never a mistake to me. _We_ were never a mistake to me."

"Of course we weren't, but the things we did to each other were. I never treated you right, and you deserve to find somebody who will. I'm with Miley now, and I'm trying to treat her the right way. I know it won't make up for everything I did to you, but it's a start."

"No, you're right," Selena snarled. "Moving on with some stuck-up psychotic bitch won't make up for what you've done." She stood up from the table and leaned down close to Nick. "Let me make this very clear for you. I will make her life _hell_ from here on out."

Demi bit her lip and watched as Selena stormed out of the diner. "It's safe," she breathed.

Nick jumped up from his seat and sat in beside us. "You shouldn't have had to hear that. Selena was completely out of line."

"I don't even think she was," I said softly.

"Miley …"

"I stole her boyfriend. You may have ended things with her, but she still loved you and she thought that she may still have a chance if she tried a little harder. She came here tonight thinking that she could win you back, only to find out that I had taken you before she could even get the chance." I shook my head and gathered my phone and wallet. "You might think she was out of line, you guys, but I think that she was right to be angry, and she has the right to make my life hell now."

"She can't hate you for being happy," Demi said.

I slipped out of the booth and looked across at Nick and Demi. "She can, and she will, and she'll be right to."

"Mi, please don't go," Nick pleaded.

"You heard what Selena said. I'll be right off back to New York at the end of the year. Did we honestly think that we could make this work?" I sighed and threw some money on the table to pay for my drink. "This was stupid."

I made my way out of the diner and started to walk towards the road. I couldn't get in the car – Demi needed it – so I started to walk back to the house.

"Miley, hold up!" Nick skidded to a stop beside me and stepped in front of me to block my path.

"Nick, get out of the way."

"I didn't tell Selena that we're together and risk her clawing my eyes out with her manicure for you to walk away. I told Selena and I'll tell you – I like you, and there's nothing wrong with having a little fun before we really have to grow up. College is next year, and I don't want to look back on my high school years wondering what could have been if I had found my balls and fought for you, so that's what I'm going to do – I'll fight for you."

"Selena –"

Nick shook his head, smiling gently. "Selena and I were over before you and I ever got together, so she has no reason to be angry with you, okay? Like Demi said, she can't hate us for being happy."

"She's going to make my life hell. I don't want –"

"I'm going to protect you, okay? She can't get to you if I'm there. Demi will be there for you as much as I will. We'll make sure that she can't hurt you."

I exhaled deeply, thinking carefully about my options. "Nick, this isn't going to work."

"Hey, it's only a bit of fun," he said with a smirk. "We'll be fine, okay?"

He engulfed me in a hug, folding his arms around me in a supportive embrace. His arms usually felt reassuring. He usually made me feel like nothing could get to me and that there was nothing and no one that could stop me from feeling so good, but I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that the worst was yet to come for Nick and me.

* * *

**Thanks to xstephanie, MelodiesWhenYourHeartBeats, Sportygirl247, LetItRainx3, ijustneedyounow, xnickslightning, JDBFavoriteGurl, niley4eva2012, sd08d1997, NickJisoffmychain2828, .Awesome, jonasluver4ever21, IWantNiley3.0, YouSaidForever (Your reviews literally crack me up, haha!), MissQueenyB, Simar and GottaLoveJBs10. As always, your reviews were much appreciated etc.**

**I'm currently sitting Christmas exams. These are the last set of exams before my GCSEs, so I'm kind of freaking out, haha. I did a creative writing part of it recently, which you'd think I would kind of be good at seeing as that's exactly what I'm into, but it was awful. Cheesiest thing I have ever written, and I have written some pretty cheesy things before. Luckily, though, I finish for the Christmas break really soon, so I'm hoping to get lots and lots of writing done!  
**

**If you want to follow me on Twitter, message me. It's my personal account, so I don't really want to post it for everybody to see ... If you're interested, let me know and I'll tell you my Twitter name :-)  
**


	19. Chapter 19

When it came to other girls, I was never really the confrontational type. I could go up to any guy in the world and challenge him, but when it came to girls, I completely freaked. Maybe it had something to do with me being a guy's girl from the very beginning. No matter what the reason, it just made the inevitable confrontation with Selena even more worrying.

"You'll be fine," Nick reassured me in the car to school.

Demi leaned forward from the back seat and rubbed my arm. "He's right, you know. Selena won't do anything in front of anybody. She'll let everything cool down a little before she decides what to do. She doesn't want to lose face in front of everyone. After all, everybody in school knows that she was chasing after him. How embarrassing would that be?"

I sighed and stared out the window. "This day is going to be hell, isn't it?"

"Demi and I are going to be there every step of the way, okay?" Nick promised. He pulled up in the student parking lot and leaned over, planting a gentle kiss on my cheek. "Selena can't get to you with us there."

"She can and she will."

"She isn't going to risk having a public meltdown with Nick or me there. Like I said, she doesn't want to lose face." Demi leapt from the car after me and joined Nick at the front bumper. "Today will be fine."

I took a deep breath and walked over to them. Nick wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulders, and in a way, it definitely helped to calm me down, but at the same time, I couldn't relax. Instead I was thinking about what Selena would do if she saw us together.

"At least the secret's out now, right?"

We walked down towards the main building, Nick's arm around me and Demi protectively marching along on my other side. I felt everyone's eyes on us, and I could hear them all whispering.

"Oh my gosh, did you hear that the new girl's dating Nick now?"

"I heard that the New Yorker stole him from Selena."

"Rumour has it Selena isn't happy about it."

I closed my eyes and clutched Nick's hand tightly. I couldn't do it – I couldn't listen to them all accuse me of things I didn't do. None of them had any idea what had happened between Nick and I, yet they all had the audacity to speculate and form their own opinions without the full story. Hell, most of the people at that school had never spoken to me - they hadn't even made an effort when I moved - yet they all thought that they knew everything about me.

"You're going to be fine," Nick whispered in my ear. "I'm here, and I'm not going to let anybody hurt you today. I promised you that I'd protect you, didn't I?"

Demi glanced over at us and stopped walking. She looked around at the crowd in the forecourt at the front of the school and narrowed her eyes. "Nothing to see here, everybody," she snapped. "If you've got a problem then you can come straight to me."

"Demi!" I hissed.

"I'm not going to let these people treat you like crap they scraped off the bottom of their shoes, Miley. You deserve better than that. None of these scumbags know the truth about what happened, and they have absolutely no right to judge you," she replied.

"They know enough, I'm sure."

"No, they know the Selena-edited version of events. That's nowhere near enough information to form an opinion."

I sighed. "Let them believe whatever they want. Nothing I say is going to change their opinion of me."

"Demi's right, Miley. These people know nothing about you. They have no right to –"

Nothing he said about what I should and shouldn't do mattered anymore. I was frozen to the spot as I saw the one person I was dreading to see. I shut my eyes tightly and clenched my hands to try and calm myself down. Everything had come down to this one moment – the moment I came face-to-face with Selena once again.

She stopped when she saw us, then slowly approached. "Well well, if it isn't the cheater, the traitor and the thief."

"What are you even talking about?" Demi asked.

"I know you're not exactly bright, Dem, but even you can work that one out. He cheated, you betrayed me and she stole my boyfriend. Simple as that." Selena smiled as her eyes landed on me once again. "How's life now that everybody in this school hates you?"

"I'm warning you, Selena," Nick growled. "Stop this now."

"Or what? You'll break up with me? Too bad you've already done that, isn't it?" She laughed sarcastically and stood straight. "You know, Miley, you'd be better going back to New York sooner rather than later. There's nothing left for you here."

In a normal situation, I would have snapped back and called her every name in the book, but something was stopping me. I knew that, after everything, I had no right to be a bitch. I was the one who had walked in and changed everything. I wasn't myself anymore - I was just this girl with her tongue tied and her head spinning. I couldn't answer Selena, and it was killing me.

"You're wrong," Demi said. "She has me and she has Nick, and that's all she needs."

"The Gray twins? She'll need a lot more than the two of you if she wants to make it a day longer in this school. Everybody knows exactly what she did to me, and nobody wants her here anymore." She spun around to face me and barked, "Why don't you go back where you came from? Nobody cares about you here anymore."

Nick took a step forward, a threatening look on his face. I had never seen him so angry, and it scared me. "I'm not one to hit a lady, Selena, but you're definitely pushing it right now."

Demi pushed past her brother and stepped in front of Selena. "You may not hit a girl, but I certainly will."

"Stop it, okay?" I said, suddenly finding my voice. "Picking a fight isn't going to do anything. I can fight my own battles – I don't need you two trying to defend me." I turned to face Selena. "I didn't steal your boyfriend, Selena, okay? And I'm not going to leave town just because you're spreading rumours about me. I'm not scared of you, and I'm not scared of your friends. I've made a life here and I'm not going to give it up because you're angry at me."

Selena stood tall, tongue in cheek. "You lying little –"

"You need to stop fighting with me and you need to stop fighting with Nick and Demi. Demi is your best friend, and suddenly you hate her because she's my friend? It doesn't make sense, Selena!"

She said nothing else. She turned and stormed across the forecourt and in through the main doors.

"My little Miley grew some balls all of a sudden, huh?" Demi teased.

I looked around at the crowds, who were still staring, especially after the encounter with Selena. "I had to give them something new to talk about, right?"

* * *

My classes were like torture all day. All anybody did was stare at me and whisper like I couldn't hear every word they were saying. It felt like I was back in New York and I was back to being the girl whose parents were having such a bad divorce that they were shipping her across the country.

I entered the hallway when the lunch bell rang and just about dodged Selena when I ducked into an empty classroom.

When the hallway was completely empty, I walked out and made my way to my locker. I knew that I couldn't spend my life looking over my shoulder and running around corners to avoid Selena, but in the short-term, it seemed like a much more viable option than facing her.

"Miley!"

I jumped, startled, and turned to see Demi approaching me. "Demi! I was worried for a second."

"Thought I was Selena?" she teased. "Anyway, so not the point. It's a nice day today. How about we eat lunch on the bleachers?"

"Selena's in the cafeteria, isn't she?"

Demi flushed. "Maybe."

I rolled my eyes and followed Demi out to the football field. We walked past the stoner kids, the art kids, the band kids, all these people that didn't even know me, yet they all seemed to stare as I walked past as if they knew even the most minor of details about what had happened. The people we walked past were the kind of people who didn't even care about what was happening with the jocks and the cheerleaders, yet they all knew and they hated me for it. Maybe that was the downside to having fewer people in your school - everyone knowing everyone could be a good thing, but it could also be the worst thing imaginable.

We reached the bleachers and sat at the top, looking out as the grass on the field was mowed.

"She's angry now, but soon she'll cool down and we'll be able to eat lunch in the cafeteria," Demi soothed.

I shook my head. "You know as well as I do that Selena isn't just going to calm down about this. She's angry, and who can blame her? She trusted me and she told me things about their relationship, and then she finds out that Nick and I are together. If I had been in her position, I would be acting the exact same way."

"Whether you're with Nick or not, Selena had no right to turn the school against you, Miley."

"That's the thing – I guess that in some twisted way, she did."

I sighed, thinking about my own logic. I had been thinking about it long and hard, and I had decided that Selena had every right to hate me, and so did everybody else. I was the new girl who had strutted in from New York and had stolen the school's star footballer from his perfect cheerleader childhood sweetheart. I was being portrayed as a home-wrecking, self-righteous bitch, and I honestly believed that I deserved every bad word being said against me.

"Look, Thanksgiving is coming up soon. We're heading to the lake house in Colorado and your mom is coming to see you. I think it will do you some good to get out of this place and take a breather."

I could see what she was trying to do. She was blatantly trying to stop me from blaming myself more for this mess than I already had, and I didn't blame her. Her two friends were at war over her twin brother – it was a difficult situation for her.

"Demi's right, you know."

I looked up and came face-to-face with Nick.

"How did you know we were out here?"

"Some of the guys saw you come out. I thought you might need somebody to talk to, so I followed you." Nick sat down on my other side and sighed. "Miley, none of this is your fault, okay? I was the one who was with Selena. She was my responsibility, not yours."

"I was supposed to come here to finish high school, not steal her boyfriend."

He rolled his eyes at my words. "Miley, you didn't steal me. She lost me long before you got here. I thought we were finished with this!"

"Nick _chose_ you. It isn't like you came here to intentionally take Nick from Selena. You can't just switch your feelings for him off because Selena might get her feelings hurt," Demi said. "I love Selena, I love Nick and I love you. There's nobody who will have heard the different sides of the story as well as I have. I know exactly how everybody feels, and I know that you never intended for this to happen. Nobody can blame you for this, Miley."

I stood up. "Neither of you understand."

"Don't we? We're the ones who have been here for you every step of the way. I listened to you complain about this tension with Nick, and he supported you when you tried to decide whether being with him was the right thing. Both of us have done everything in our power to make this entire situation easier for you, Miley. I think that the sooner you realise that we aren't your enemies, the better."

Nick looked at Demi. "A little harsh there, sis," he said softly.

"She needed to hear it," Demi answered with a shrug.

He turned back to me and reached out to take my hand. "She was right about Thanksgiving. Maybe it will do you some good to see your mom away from all of this, you know? This whole thing is taking over your life, Mi."

I couldn't answer. They both had a point, but I couldn't stick their biased answers anymore. They cared about me and had seen things from my point of view. Of course they were going to empathise. But I was seeing things from Selena's perspective, and I didn't like it.

"I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Nick jumped to his feet to follow.

"I need to make a phone call. I, uh, I haven't spoken to Lilly in a while. I need to call and check in."

"Right now?"

"Yes," I snapped. I closed my eyes and shook my head, immediately regretting my sharp tone. "I'm sorry. Look, I'll meet you guys after school. We can go home and talk there."

I felt them watching me like hawks as I dashed down the steps of the bleachers and out of sight. I rounded the corner to the faculty parking lot and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

I snatched my phone from my jacket pocket and quickly found Lilly's number in my contact list.

"Look who finally decided to call their best friend."

The sound of Lilly's voice made me choke up. A lump was forming in my throat and I couldn't swallow it back down. Hearing her made me remember how simple things were when it was just me back in New York. I had no drama and I could just live without worrying about who was watching and who would get hurt.

"Lils, I really need you right now," I whispered. I allowed myself to sink to the ground and pull my knees up to my chest. "Everything's just so screwed up."

She hesitated. "Liam told me what happened in Texas."

"I didn't mean to hurt him."

"I know that, but you did. You know, I never saw Liam cry until he came home from visitng you. He came to my apartment and completely broke down because he realised that he had lost you."

"Lilly, I –"

"Miley, you're my best friend. You always have been and chances are that you always will be. But I can't listen to you complain about the drama that _you_ caused. You're the one who broke up with Liam, and you're the one who decided to start dating somebody who's taken." Lilly sighed, and I could tell how hard it was for her to say all of that. "Quite frankly, Mi, you brought this all on yourself, and I can't support you for that."

She hung up. She didn't even say goodbye. She just pressed that little red button that could both terminate a call and terminate a friendship, which she clearly wanted to do.

I finally let the tears that had been brimming all day fall. I was completely alone. Selena, the only person in Texas who I could be sure wouldn't give me a pile of crap to make me feel better, hated me. I had completely alienated Jake when I decided to date Nick. Demi and Nick both would either tell lies to make me change my mind or have a completely biased outlook on the situation. Liam certainly wouldn't want to talk to me. And as for Lilly, my best friend since kindergarten? She absolutely hate me.

After all the effort I had put in not to settle down when I first moved to Texas, I found myself wishing that I had. Maybe if I had, I wouldn't be crying on my own in the faculty parking lot.

* * *

**I know that this chapter is kind of depressing, but it's kind of building up to the end. I also know that not a lot happened and the whole mean girl behaviour with Selena probably doesn't make a lot of sense because she was so nice before, but I kind of want Miley and Selena to have a big conversation later on in the story where they talk about Nick and everything else that has brought them to where they are. I think there are going to be about 25 chapters in total, including an epilogue. I'm going to be kind of sad to end this, because it's been the most successful story I've ever written, but at the same time, I'm excited to start working on a brand new idea. I'm aiming to finish this before I start school again in January. I have the next couple of chapters written, so I just need to proof read them and then post them :-)**

**As usual, thank you to everybody who reviewed on the last chapter! Thanks to MelodiesWhenYourHeartBeats, sickoftonight, niley4eva2012, NileyDelenaFinchel, xnickslightning, nileyfan0314, ijustneedyounow (Thanks - I think you and others wishing me luck actually worked in a way because most of them went okay, haha!), babygurl98, NickJisoffmychain2828, JDBFavoriteGurl, jonasluver4ever21, YouSaidForever, Simar, IWantNiley3.0 and Sportygirl247.**


	20. Chapter 20

"You really need to stop over-thinking this."

I looked up and came face-to-face with the one person who I had given relationships up for – the one and only Nick. I didn't blame him; in fact, it was completely the opposite. I just felt like we had both given up a lot to be together and we weren't exactly reaping the benefits.

He sat down beside me on the porch steps and took my hand. "Selena can do whatever she wants, okay? But it doesn't matter. It isn't going to finish us. We've been through too much to get here."

"She isn't going to stop, Nick."

He sighed, remembering the day's events. It had been three days since I had broken down in the faculty parking lot, and I had to admit that things had gotten slightly better, but Selena was still there everywhere I turned, waiting with her friends to fire insults and threats at me.

"Give her time. Her ego's just wounded, that's all."

"It's a lot more than her ego this time."

Nick grinned. "You're right. You did steal her man, after all. Didn't you hear? I'm quite the catch these days."

I cuffed his arm and giggled. "You are such a child."

"But I made you laugh, didn't I? And that was all I wanted to achieve." He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. "We're going to make it through this, okay? We're going to spend Thanksgiving at the lake house and we're going to take a time-out from all this high school drama."

"Selena –"

"How many times do I have to tell you to forget about her? Selena is my problem, not yours. I did the damage, I can pick up the pieces too."

I beamed up at him. It took me a little while, but I realised that I didn't need to worry about anything, not when I had Nick to support me. He was going to be there to pick me up when I was done and hold me up while I was struggling. As corny as it sounded, he gave me the strength to push through whatever else Selena had in store for me, because I knew that the reward in the end would be so worthwhile that everything would have been worth it.

Nick smiled back at me and leaned his forehead towards mine. "You and I are going to be just fine."

"Oh my goodness, are you trying to make me barf?"

He pulled away, rolling his eyes. He spun his head around to see Selena standing at the bottom of the steps with her hands on her hips.

"Don't you have anything better to do than hang around outside my house?"

"I'm here to see your sister, actually."

"She's not here," Nick snarled.

"Nick, calm down," I whispered.

Selena smirked. "Yeah, Nick. Listen to your tramp."

He stood up quickly. "Say that one more time," he growled, stepping closer to her with his fists clenched.

"Oh please, you wouldn't lay a finger on me. Your mom taught you not to hit a lady, remember?"

"You're right, she did. But the thing is, Selena, you're no lady. Ladies don't spread spiteful gossip and threaten innocent people because they're a little bit jealous that their ex chose somebody else."

"Nick, stop this!" I said.

Selena narrowed her eyes. "Because you're such a gentleman, Nick, aren't you? Because all the gentlemen in the world dump their first girlfriend without an explanation, don't they?"

I got up and stood between them. "You both need to stop this."

"You do _not_ get to tell me what to do," she barked. "You do _not_ get to tell me what I _need_ to do, Miley."

"I do when you're going to push him into doing something he'll regret."

Selena rolled her eyes at me and looked back at her car over her shoulder. She was clearly dying to get away from us. "I may be taunting him, Miley, but that boy is the closest thing to a gentleman that this place has. He wouldn't lay a finger on me, no matter how hard I pushed."

Nick stepped back from Selena, shaking his head with a light smile. "You know me well." He advanced towards the steps and turned. "Maybe I won't hit you, but the gates sure can. Don't let them hit you on the way out."

I shot Nick a reprimanding look and then shifted my gaze to Selena. "Aren't you two going to talk about this?"

"I have nothing to say to either of you except to remind you that this isn't over," Selena barked.

"Oh, grow up, Selena."

"I had to grow up a long time ago. Don't you remember all the times you kicked me around like I was some kind of game? Somebody had to grow up and realise that we weren't supposed to be together." She laughed harshly and crossed her arms across her chest. "Ironic that the closest thing we have to a gentleman around here treats his girlfriends like crap."

I didn't dare point out that Nick had been the one to end things, not her. I wasn't going to be the one to aggravate her even more.

Nick leaned against one of the beams holding up the overhang of the porch, watching Selena carefully. "I don't treat them all like that. Just you."

"Nick," I warned.

"I don't understand why you're being so polite to her," he said. "She's treated you badly ever since she found out. She deserves to be treated the same."

"And what good will that do?" I hissed. I then turned to Selena. "I'll tell Demi that you dropped by, Selena."

"Don't bother. I'll call her later." Selena spun around on her heel and marched over to her car. "Oh, and by the way? He's going to break up with you for somebody else soon enough. Seemingly it's what he does best."

She put her keys in the ignition and screeched out of the Gray family's driveway.

"What the hell was that?" I snapped.

"I'm not going to let her treat you like crap, Miley. I was willing to do what you wanted and sit back before, but I'm tired of this. I told you myself that Selena is _my_ problem, not yours. I'm handling it." Nick sat down on the step we were sitting on before and looked up at me. "You need to stop defending her. She has no right to treat you like this."

"Just because she's been a bitch doesn't mean that I should be one too."

"Stop being so naïve."

"Stop being so resentful!" I turned and walked up the steps. "Whatever, Nick. Come to the pool house when you've stopped acting like a five year old."

Nick jumped up and grabbed my hand, pulling me back to him. "You do realise that we're having our first fight and it's over her, don't you? She's getting exactly what she wants by tearing us apart."

"The only one tearing us apart is you with your pettiness!"

"Oh, I'm sorry for sticking up for you!"

"I don't need you to fight my battles!"

"Well, you're not doing such a great job of fighting them yourself, are you?"

I looked at him coldly and walked back down the steps. "Wow, Nick. Wow." I made my way to the side gate to enter the backyard. I heard him follow me back, calling my name.

"Miley, come on, I didn't mean that."

"That's the thing, Nick – yes, you did." I yanked the gate open and stormed across the lawn, ignoring his pleas for me to stop and listen to him.

"This is ridiculous. Can't we just talk about this?"

"You've said _exactly_ what you wanted to say, Nick." I wrenched the door of the pool house and stepped inside. "Like I said, come by when you're finished acting like a child."

"Miley, I –"

Nick didn't get a chance to finish, because I slammed the door shut in his face.

I fell back against the pillows and stared at the whirring fan on the ceiling. Everything was back to being exactly the way it was when I arrived in Texas – I had no one, and all I wanted was to go back home, except this time, there wasn't exactly anything to go back to there either.

* * *

There was a knock at the bedroom door. In a way, I kind of expected it to be Nick, seeing as he had been banging at the pool house door for over twenty minutes until about an hour ago, when I heard him yell angrily and walk back to the house.

The door creaked open and Demi slipped in. "Trouble in paradise, huh?"

"Can we please not talk about this?"

"We have to talk about it, Miley. I have a brother who's angrily working out with a punch-bag in the attic and a friend who's miserably staring at the ceiling. I hate to be the one in the middle here, but else do I do but talk to you?"

"You could go and stop your brother before he loses his temper and punches a wall instead of that punch-bag."

Demi sat down on the edge of the bed. "I already did."

"What?"

"Don't hate me, okay?"

"Demi …"

"I let him in to the pool house," she blurted. "He was angry and upset and then he started venting so I started feeling bad and, I mean, we're twins so of course I'm going to help him out and then I told him I was going to talk to you and he asked me to talk to you and he –"

"He isn't coming in to my bedroom."

"Miley, this is completely ridiculous."

I looked up and saw Nick leaning against the doorjamb casually, his arms folded and his eyebrows raised.

"Get out, Nick. I'm not in the mood to talk to you."

Nick smirked. "You're going to have to talk to me some time, so how about we just cut to the chase – you let me in, we'll work this out, then we can go to the lake house like one big happy family."

"I mean it, Nick," I snapped.

Demi stood up. "Nick, get in here." She walked to the door and snatched the key from the lock on the inside. "You two are going to stay here until you prove that you have worked everything out."

"Demi –"

She stepped out of the room and slammed the door, turning the key in the lock from the other side.

"I guess it's just you and me."

I looked up at Nick and sighed. "Please stop talking."

"Miley, I'm sorry, okay? I was pissed at Selena and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have done that and I'm sorry for it. But you can't torture me forever just because you're angry with me."

"You shouldn't be acting like an ass to Selena in the first place, Nick!"

"I'm not just going to stand by and let her call you a tramp, okay? You're my girlfriend now. The less we say, the worse she's going to get. Somebody needs to put Selena in her place, Miley." Nick sat down beside me and grasped my hand tightly. "This is difficult for everybody."

"We're the ones in the wrong, not Selena."

"I need you to understand this – yes, I did Selena wrong by not being honest with her in the beginning, but you did absolutely nothing dishonest. It was all me, and I deserve to be punished for what I did, but Selena? She's punishing you for my mistakes, and I'm not going to let that happen. I went through too much to get here and I'm not going to let her get what she wants because she's throwing a tantrum like a kid."

I tried to pull my hand back, but he held it tighter, staring me down.

"Nick …"

"Let me get this out. Please. None of the things that have happened are down to you. You tried your best to do what was best for us all – me, you, Selena, Liam. Me? I looked out for myself, and that was wrong of me. Selena was right. I'm the closest thing there is to a gentleman around here, and yet I still treated her like dirt. What does that say about Texan guys, huh?" He closed his eyes. "I need you to understand, Miley, that I'm fighting as hard as I can to protect you from Selena because you don't deserve any of this. You didn't do anything, and I can't sit by and let you get punished for my mistakes. So I'm sorry if I pick fights with Selena or if I say the wrong thing sometimes, but I only do it because I'm trying to protect you."

I watched him carefully as he spoke, analysing his words in my head, but then it hit me – my analysis, his apologies, none of it was necessary. Our entire fight had been completely pointless, and he was right when he said that we were giving Selena exactly what she wanted.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," I said gently. "I get it."

"I don't think – "

"Trust me when I tell you that I get it," I said, giggling softly. "You and I have been through a lot to be together, and you're right – I'm not going to let Selena tear us apart."

Nick grinned. This entire argument had been completely pointless. We were totally on the same page.

He leaned in closer. "Seeing as I'm such a gentleman, I'm going to ask you a question."

"And what's that?" I breathed, my stare fixing on his lips.

"Can I kiss you?"

I didn't provide him with an answer, or at least not a vocal one. Before I could stop myself my lips were on his and his were on mine and it was heaven. The hour and a half I had spent sulking in my room seemed to just fade away as we fell back on to the sheets.

My hands were tangled in his hair while he kept one hand on my cheek and the other on the curve of my waist. He had rolled on top of me, hovering above me.

The kiss was getting more and more heated as our hands drifted up and done one another's bodies. I lowered my hands from his hair to the hemline of his t-shirt and slipped them underneath. I ran my fingers over his taut torso.

I faintly heard talking outside the bedroom door, but I just figured that it was Demi on the phone to Selena or something.

That was until the door burst open.

"_Miley_?"

Nick found himself on the floor as I shoved him off me and adjusted my shirt, which had ridden up to reveal most of my stomach and the bottom of my bra.

"Mom?"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! So Tish is back to visit Miley. Who's excited to see what's going to happen with that? Update on my next story - I have narrowed it down to two ideas that I really like and one of them is going to end up being my next story. If you'd like to hear more about them, send me a message.**

**Thanks to Fatimaaaa (Don't worry about it! I had exams too and they had me so stressed out), niley4eva2012, xnickslightning, YouSaidForever, lifesaclimb11, MissQueenyB, Caroline2608, JDBFavoriteGurl, NickJisoffmychain2828, sd08d1997, IWantNiley3.0, ijustneedyounow (I think I didn't write a big bitch fight because it would make me angrier at Selena too, haha. Also, I just think that it kind of makes Miley being so upset about it more realistic if she isn't going around picking fights with Selena), Simar, mar and jonasluver4ever21 for your reviews. **


	21. Chapter 21

To say that my mother was a spontaneous woman would be an understatement. I will never forget the day she came back to our apartment when I was ten years old and announced that she was taking my father and me to Disneyland. It was just her thing to surprise somebody she loved to try and make them happy.

An earlier flight, however, was not something I found overly exciting.

"I got to JFK and I asked were there any spots on the earlier flight, and of course there was a booking that had just been cancelled, so I took the seat." My mother's gaze drifted to Nick and she raised her eyebrows. "Is there something you would like to tell me, honey?"

"Mom, this is Nick."

"I know his name, Miley, I've known him since he was born. I want to know why the pair of you were lying on your bed together in a position that I certainly wouldn't want your grandma to see me in."

"Nick and I …"

"Oh, spit it out, Miley."

"We're dating now, I guess."

"You guess? It's a yes or no kind of situation, sweetie." Mom raised her eyebrows once again and looked Nick up and down. "I must say, you could do a lot worse, honey." She chuckled to herself and put her purse down on my dresser. "He's certainly better than that last boy you brought home."

"Mother!"

"Oh, sweetie, relax. I'm just having a little bit of fun with you." Mom crossed the room to the sliding doors and looked out. "Paul and Denise have certainly been taking care of you, that's for sure." She turned to face me and smiled. "You really should call more and let me know how you're doing down here. I've been worried about you."

Just like that, she had given up on the topic of Nick and had moved on. I knew then that there was something she wasn't telling me, and she was just compensating for her own secrets by letting me have mine.

"I should go," Nick said awkwardly, inching towards the door.

"That reminds me – your mother would like some help packing everything up for the lake house, Nick." Mom watched him as he crossed my bedroom floor and walked out before she sat down on the chair at my desk. "He's quite the catch, isn't he?"

"Mom," I groaned.

"I'm serious! Denise has told me all about him. Football, baseball, Homecoming king – he really is Mr Perfect, huh? She did, however, fail to mention that he is currently dating my daughter." She sighed. "Oh, honey, look at him. He's absolutely perfect for you."

"Mom, I am not having this conversation with you."

Mom got up from her seat and paced the room slowly. "Anyway, your father and I have been talking recently, and we have come to a decision about something rather important."

"Oh, you actually speak these days?"

"About you, yes." She leaned against the desk and watched me intently. "How would you feel about coming back to New York sooner than we expected? The divorce is going a lot faster than we anticipated – it turns out your father has decided that he no longer needs half of my grandmother's antiques on top of the beach house."

It was strange – when I first arrived in Texas, I had spent weeks wanting nothing more than to go back to New York to be with people I actually knew and cared about. But I had settled in with the Gray family, and as much as I hated to intrude on their hospitality, they were a better family to me than my parents had ever been. I couldn't remember the last time I sat down with both of them for a meal the way I did every night with the Grays, and we hadn't been on a vacation together in years. We had stopped being happy a long time ago, and although I missed the days when we could all stand to be in the same room as each other, they never had been and probably never would be the parents I had always dreamed of having; the ones who asked how I was doing at school and who cared more about my education and my relationships more than they cared about themselves and their jobs. And, of course, there was the slight problem of now having a boyfriend and friends in Texas that I didn't exactly want to abandon.

"What about my senior year?"

"You can move back at Christmas and start back at school again in January with Lilly and all of your friends," she said.

"I can't just leave school and pick up somewhere else in the middle of the year, Mom. I have friends here. I have classes. I have commitments. You told me I would be here until the end of the year, so I did what you asked and I settled."

"We told you that there was a _chance _that you would be here for that long. There were no guarantees. I thought this was what you wanted!"

"The people here have been better friends to me than my friends in New York have been when I needed them," I snapped. "I called Lilly and she told me that I brought my problems on myself. Do you know how that feels, Mom? She's been my best friend for years, and she couldn't even bring herself to support me when I needed her! Why should I have to go back home and have her ignore me from January until the summer vacation starts?"

Mom stood up and walked over to the bedroom door. "I'll let you think about it, honey."

"I have no thinking to do. I'm finishing my senior year here."

"Miley, this isn't –"

"Don't you dare tell me that this isn't up for discussion, Mom. You and Dad are the ones who shipped me down here in the first place. I did what you wanted and settled in, and now you come here and tell me that once I've finally made some friends, you want me to move back home. It doesn't work like that, okay? I packed my life up into a couple of suitcases for you and Dad to give you space to work out whatever issues you have, and now you need to give me the space to finish my last year before college in peace. Don't you think you owe me that?"

"Miley –"

"Get out, Mom."

Clearly not wanting to push the already stretched boundaries, she backed out of the room and was immediately replaced by Demi.

"I was eavesdropping. Hope you don't mind," she said with a cheeky grin.

"Then you'll have heard her master-plan. She didn't really want to spend the holidays with me, Dem. All she wanted was to convince me to go back with my dad when he comes to visit at Christmas."

Demi's face fell. "Yeah, I heard that bit. You aren't really going though, are you?"

"I'm not sure if I have much choice."

"Of course you do! This is your life, Miley. They can't make you leave if you don't want to. What about me? What about Nick? My parents will talk to them, okay? They'll tell them that you're happy here and you'll join them –"

"When could I possibly join them without missing everybody here?"

She paused for a moment. "This is your decision, and I'm going to support you, whatever you decide. I want you to stay here, but I know that there is always the option of you leaving at Christmas if that's what you want. If that is the case, we're all heading off to college next year anyway. What difference does it make if you leave a little while before we do? We're all going to be split up, no matter how long we put it off for." Demi leaned over and held my hand tightly. "We can come and visit you, and you can come back here whenever you want. It isn't like you'll never see us again."

"Nick –"

"He's a big boy."

"I just worked everything out with him. I can't just pack up and leave next month."

"Look, why don't you think about it over Thanksgiving? You know that you will always be welcome here, and you know that your parents are ready for you to go back to New York. At least you can make your decision being well aware of what everyone else wants. Whatever happens, the choice is up to you. Everybody just wants you to be happy with what you decide."

I sighed and looked at my bedroom door. "I can't just leave him, Demi. I won't be that girl."

"What's the worst that will happen? You've got him whipped, so it isn't like he's going to break up with you, is it?"

"I've done the whole long distance thing."

"Yes, yes, but Nick isn't like Liam, okay? They're completely different, and you need to push away this whole defensive wall you've got. Nick isn't going to do what Liam did the second you leave, because what he feels for you is completely different to what he's ever felt for anybody else, even Selena. Liam may have hurt you when you were apart, but Nick feels so strongly about you that he would never even dream of hurting you."

I looked at Demi, and her sincerity really made me believe that maybe, just maybe, not all guys were going to hurt me.

* * *

"Kids, we're leaving!"

Denise walked out of the house and ushered Frankie into the back of her car. "Miley, your mom and I will drive up with Frankie, and Paul will drive up with Demi and pick up Joe and Kevin on the way. You don't mind travelling with Nick, do you?"

"She'll be fine with me, Mom," Nick said, coming out of the front door. He winked over at me and threw his duffle bag into the back seat of his truck.

"No speeding and no detours. We all know how well your trips off the beaten track work out," she chastised him. "I filled your car up with gas yesterday, so hopefully you'll only have to stop once to refill."

"We'll be fine, Mom, okay?" He leaned over and kissed his mom on the cheek. "We'll see you at the lake house." He turned to me and smiled. "Are you ready to go?"

"Whenever you are," I replied.

We hopped in the truck and reversed out of the driveway. Nick flipped on the radio and began nodding his head to the beat.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

"Shoot."

"My mom wants me to go back to New York at Christmas."

Nick glanced over at me across the middle console and bit his lip. "And do you want to go?"

"I don't know. I guess that depends on what I would be leaving behind."

He looked at me again and sighed. "You know exactly what you would be leaving behind, Miley. Don't pretend like you don't know what's here for you." He hesitated. "This is your choice. I just want you to know that, if you choose to move back to New York with your parents, Demi and I aren't going to resent your choice."

"Nick …"

"I mean it, Mi. You don't have to worry about us when you're trying to decide."

"That's the thing. You say that I don't have to worry about you two, but I do, because I know that the second I decide, I'm going to be letting someone down. If I move back to New York, I'm moving away from you and Demi, just after we've worked everything out, but if I stay here, I'm disappointing my mom," I explained.

Nick paused, then took one hand off the wheel and used it to clutch mine. "I think that you need to take everybody else out of the equation for a second and think about yourself. If you and I weren't together, if you and Demi hadn't gotten so close, if your parents hadn't been fighting in the first place, if you had to choose between the two cities, would you pick Dallas or New York?"

That was the thing – if I had to choose between the two cities, I had no idea which one I would choose. Both were so different. In Dallas, my life was a quiet suburban one like in the movies, but in New York, I had been living so many girls' dreams. In each city, I had different things to stay for. It was now down to me to decide which of the things was most important to me.

* * *

**Yeah, so everybody I know is out at parties this weekend, having fun and whatever, but I'm not into all that underage drinking thing, so I spent my weekend writing instead. As you can see, I am clearly a social person beyond my own little group of friends (please note my sarcasm).**

**Please do me a huge huge favour and check out my newest story, 'Six Degrees of Separation'. I really do like the idea for it, and I hope you all do as well.**

**I probably won't be updating again before Christmas, so HAPPY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all have an amazing day.**

**Thanks to MelodiesWhenYourHeartBeats, JDBFavoriteGurl, YouSaidForever, jonasluver4ever21, MissQueenyB, nileyfan0314, Fatimaaaa (When I said he was the closest thing to a gentleman, I meant in that particular area of Dallas, not the entire city, haha! But thank you. And yes, my exams went well! I hope so, anyway. Glad to hear that yours went well too!), .Awesome, ijustneedyounow, sd08d1997, IWantNiley3.0, NickJisoffmychain2828, mar, 1 and Simar for your reviews!**


	22. Chapter 22

Obviously New York City didn't have many lakes with houses around it, but the Gray property in Colorado was better than even my wildest dreams. The lake house had a garage on the ground floor with a long set of steps leading up to the front door on the first floor. There was a wrap-around deck on the first floor, which I was pretty sure gave a stunning view of the lake, and I could tell just by looking at the house that the bedrooms on the second floor provided an even more phenomenal sight.

"You're bunking with me," Demi said. We had met Paul and the others at a gas station halfway along the journey, and the boys were driving her so crazy that she demanded to move to our car. "I've had the same room here since I was five, so don't worry about it smelling like my brothers."

"Please, the only one that smells in this family is you," Nick responded. "You're the only girl. That makes _you_ the odd one out."

"It also makes me the sweetest smelling one, kid."

He looked at her through the rear-view mirror with raised eyebrows. "We're the same age. If anything, you're the kid."

"I think you'll find on the birth certificate that _I'm_ seven minutes older, making _you_ the kid."

Anyone would think that _both_ of them were kids from the way they were acting, but I focused my attention on the still lake. I wasn't quite sure why we hadn't moved from the car to the lake house yet, but I wasn't going to complain. Nick's car was warm, and from what I could tell from the draught when Demi had opened her window on the highway, the November air in Colorado wasn't something I was prepared for.

Nick took his keys out of the ignition and put them in his jacket pocket. "Come on, I told Mom that I would unlock the door and start taking things inside."

Demi and I jumped out of the car after him and followed him up the steps to the front door. He leaned up, groped blindly on top of the doorjamb and pulled down a key. He put it in the lock and pushed it open, tapping in the alarm code quickly.

"Welcome to Colorado, princess."

Demi pushed past her brother and threw herself down onto the couch. "Nicholas, get to work. Mom gave you a job."

"You know, sis, you're expected to actually help me out a little bit."

"And why would I do that? I'm not even supposed to be here right now, remember? I'm still supposed to be at state lines with Dad."

He rolled his eyes and pulled the key out of the front door, throwing it down on to the table beside it. "I'll be down at the truck." He walked out of the lake house, leaving the door wide open so he could come and go as he pleased.

"Ugh, how can you even date my brother? He's so aggravating!"

I smiled at Demi and sat down beside her. "I know that you love him. You two fight like cats and dogs but when he needs you or you need him, you're like an army. You rally together and look out for each other, because he's your brother and that's what you do."

"Wow, apparently you're as pathetic when it comes to my brother as he is when it comes to you."

I blushed and looked away awkwardly. "So, what about you? What happened to that guy you made out with at the drive-in last month?"

Demi rolled her eyes and threw herself back into the cushions in despair. "Turns out I was his rebound. He had just stopped this friends with benefits thing with one of the girls on the softball team, and he used me to get over her. Great guy, huh?"

"Don't worry. It's only high school, remember?"

"Ugh, I cannot wait until college. It would be impossible for the guys there to be any worse than high school boys."

Nick walked back in, carrying some bags. He winked at me and threw his duffle into Demi's lap. "Hey, sis, would you mind taking that upstairs?"

"Um, yes."

"Too bad, you're taking it." Nick jumped over the back of the couch and sat down between Demi and me. He folded his arms across his chest nonchalantly and glanced over at his sister. "Chop chop, Dem. My bag won't carry itself."

Demi rolled her eyes again and stood up. "Again, I cannot wait until college." She slowly pulled herself to her feet and wandered out of the room.

"I thought she would never leave."

I smirked at Nick and pulled away from his grasp. "You just wanted to be alone with me, huh?"

"I had planned to stop off along the way to make out, but then she decided to join our trip," he joked. Nick pulled me closer again and leaned his face closer to mine. "How about we make out now?"

"Our moms will be here soon," I said, giggling as he kissed along my jawline.

"My mom is the slowest driver in the state. She won't be here for at least a half hour."

"And your dad?"

"Joe and Kevin will have asked to stop off to go to the bathroom at least twice since Demi got into our car." He pulled me half onto his lap and bit his lip. "You've been driving me crazy ever since we left the house, Mi."

"Demi's right upstairs."

"Don't worry about her. I think she got the message."

I was just about to crack and let him kiss me when the front door that he had just closed flew open and Frankie ran in, flinging himself onto the couch beside us.

"Best roadtrip ever!"

Nick groaned and buried his face into my shoulder. "Is Mom coming up?"

"Yeah, her and Tish are just unpacking the car," Frankie replied. He stood up again and looked down at us. "Why are you sitting on Nick?"

I slid off him, blushing slightly, and looked at my fingernails. "I, uh, I thought I saw a mouse and wanted Nick to protect me." I glanced over at Nick, who was smirking, and elbowed him in the ribs. "You know, football player and everything."

Frankie furrowed his brow. "That's weird," he answered. He went to the door and shouted, "Mom! When's dinner?"

Denise walked through the front door, laden down with bags. My mom was only a couple of steps behind her. Denise dropped the bags and replied, "That depends. Are you in the mood to ask politely? It's been a long drive, Frankie."

"Can we order pizza then?"

"Absolutely not," she laughed. She turned to face us and smiled warmly. "Hey, kids. Did you have a nice trip up here?"

"It was great," I said.

"Glad to hear it." Denise progressed into the kitchen, dragging bags behind her. "Nicholas, could you give me a hand in here, please? You too, Frankie!"

The boys trudged in to the kitchen after their mother, grumbling about how they shouldn't have to help over their Thanksgiving vacation. Mom walked around the couch and sat down in the spot Nick had just vacated.

"Have you thought any more about New York?" I asked.

"It's a difficult decision, Mom. I can't just decide within a couple of days."

"Of course you can," she replied confusedly. "It's not as difficult as you make it out to be, Miley. We want you back with your family. Your friends miss you. I ran into Liam at the grocery store the other day, you know. He misses you too."

"Liam and I are finished."

I didn't point out that she was the one who had said that she preferred Liam to Nick. It didn't seem like the time to get into such a petty argument.

"That doesn't mean that you can't be friends. You've known each other for years. Just because you broke up doesn't mean that you can't still talk." Mom touched my hand and looked at me. "Miley, you're my only daughter. I miss having you around the apartment. I admit that sending you to Texas while your father and I handled the divorce wasn't exactly my brightest idea, but it was for your own good. Now everything has been dealt with, and we want you home. What's so complicated about this?"

"I have friends here. I have a boyfriend here now, Mom. I can't just leave my life here to go back to one where everybody's pissed at me."

"Language," Mom said quickly. It was like she was on autopilot – she had spent so many years begging me to speak like a 'lady' that it had practically been programmed into her brain to correct every word that she considered 'vulgar'. "Honey, why don't you visit at Christmas, and then you can decide whether or not it would be better to stay at home or come back to Texas?"

"Because I know that, if I go home, you and Dad won't let me come back," I snapped. "Look, Mom, I know that you miss me, but this is my life now. I promise you that I will come home once my senior year is over, but right now, I don't know where I want to be or who I want to be with."

Mom sighed and looked out the window onto the lake. "Miley, sweetie, you are never going to please everybody. You're going to disappoint someone, whether it's me or your father or the twins. You can't have it both ways."

"I know that, Mom! I know, okay? I just need some time to figure things out and decide what I want."

She stood up and pursed her lips. "I should help Denise in the kitchen," she said softly.

"Don't be like that!"

"Like what?"

"I tell you that I don't know what I want and instead of confronting the situation and trying to help me through it, you run away. Great parenting skills, Mom." I rolled my eyes and turned away from her.

"What do you want me to do, Miley? I want you to come home to New York at Christmas, but I can't tell you that without you thinking that I'm trying to influence your decision! I understand that you have a life here now, but I don't want you to overstay your welcome with the Grays. Paul and Denise have opened their home to you, and it's unfair of your father and I to expect them to keep you for any longer than they have to," she hissed.

"What, so I'm just some obligation to everybody now?"

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Just go and help Denise in the kitchen. I'm not in the mood for this crap."

Mom refrained from chastising me for my language and turned around. She aimlessly wandered into the kitchen, closing the door gently behind her. It opened seconds later and Nick walked out. He sat down beside me again and looked over.

"I heard what you said to your mom."

"Yeah, well …" I trailed off, not quite sure what else there was to say.

Nick sighed. "Miley, don't give her such a hard time, okay? She's only trying to help you out and do what's best for you. She's your mom; of course she's going to miss you."

I turned to face him and sighed. "Am I a burden to your family?"

"Of course not!" he said quickly. "My mom loves you, you know that. My dad thinks you're great, and you've been a better friend to Demi than Selena's ever been." He smiled as he brought my fingers to his lips and gently kissed each fingertip. "And as for me? I think that you moving down to Texas was the best thing that's happened to my family in a long, long time."

I smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. That's really sweet."

He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. "I do try," he said with a wink.

A car door slammed outside, and thundering footsteps thudded up the steps. The front door opened, and Paul walked in with Joe and Kevin behind him.

"Hello, you two." He waved at us. "Nick, is your mother in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, with Frankie and Tish."

Paul walked into the kitchen, dropping his bags at the foot of the stairs.

Kevin and Joe walked around to stand in front of us. Joe nudged Kevin and said, "This is the one I was telling you about, Kev."

I had never met Kevin before. He looked like Paul, Denise, Nick and Joe all thrown into one. He was grinning down at me with a duffle bag slung casually over his shoulder and his coat folded over his forearm.

"So, this is the girl who managed to tie our little brother down."

"She didn't tie me down," Nick snapped, rolling his eyes.

"That's not what Mom said on the phone," Joe replied, laughing. "I must say, kid, she's an upgrade on Selena. That chick was a little too much."

I felt uncomfortable with them analyzing me so carefully, so I looked away awkwardly. I heard Joe and Kevin muttering to each other, laughing between their words.

"Haven't you two got papers to write or something?"

"I got all mine done before I left campus. What about you, Joseph?"

"Nope, Kevin, I got mine all done as well." Joe smirked at Nick. "That means we've got plenty of time for our kid brother."

"You have more than one little brother."

"Don't tell Frankster, but you're our favourite," Kevin teased, nudging Nick's leg with his toe. He laughed loudly and stuck his hand out. "How rude of me. I don't believe we've met. I'm Kevin, these dumbasses' brother."

I shook his hand and smiled. "Miley," I replied.

"I know," he replied with a chuckle. "So, you got Nicholas to settle down a little. He was kind of a manwhore before, huh?"

"Hey!" Nick protested. "I was not a manwhore."

Joe rolled his eyes. "Kid, you were with the same girl for, like, ever, yet you still hooked up with at least a dozen other girls. I think that constitutes us calling you a manwhore, don't you think? Or would you prefer the title 'slut'?"

Nick kicked his older brothers in the shins and stood up. "I did not hook up with that many girls when I was with Selena," he defended. He rose to his feet and glared at his brother. "I'm going to go unpack."

"Leaving your girlfriend? Wow, according to Dem, that isn't a regular occurrence."

"Speaking of our baby sister …"

Demi appeared at the bottom of the stairs and stared at her brothers. "Oh, gosh. You two have arrived. Good drive without me? I doubt it."

"Good to see you too, sis."

Demi approached us. "Don't worry, Nick. I'll protect her from these idiots."

Nick looked down at me. "Will you be okay for a little while?"

"If it makes you feel better, I'll show her our room," Demi said quickly. She looked at me and rolled her eyes, mouthing the word 'whipped'.

Joe laughed loudly and threw himself down into an armchair. "Go ahead, lover-boy. Kev and I don't bite. Well, at least not often." He winked and looked at Kevin. "Hey, dude, why don't you get on lighting a fire? It's colder than a bitch right now."

Demi grabbed my arm and pulled me up the stairs, Nick trailing behind us. We separated at the top; we went left and he went right. Demi pushed open a door at the end of the hall.

She pointed at two single beds. "Mine's the one beside the window. Mom got a second bed when I was younger because Selena was here that often. I guess it's yours now." She smiled and motioned to my bag by the window. "I brought them up when Nick forced me to take his."

"Thanks, Demi. This is great." I sat down on my bed and looked around the room. "It's really you," I teased.

She looked around at the pink polka-dotted wallpaper and the rose patterned curtains and sighed. "We got it decorated when I was like seven, okay?"

"You weren't quite so hipster back then, huh?" I joked.

I looked around at the photographs and posters she had taped to the walls as she had gotten older. Bands from gigs she had gone to with Selena and pictures of their early teenage years with pinned to a cork noticeboard above the desk. It made me sad that they had gone from being closer than anybody I knew to being like strangers, all because Nick and I had caused Demi to choose sides by being together.

"I know what you're thinking," she said softly. "You need to stop feeling guilty."

I looked at her and realized that she had followed my gaze to the photos. "Demi …"

"She isn't important, okay? She did some pretty rotten things to you and to my brother, and I don't appreciate that. She has this darkness inside of her, Miley. It's like she enjoys being in this sick and twisted game with Nick, and I don't like it. She isn't a good person to be around right now," Demi explained. "It isn't just about you. Nick is my brother, and if she can't be as happy for my brother as I am, I don't really think that we're in a position to be friends."

"She was your best friend for a long time. She was Nick's first love."

"That's the thing. I don't think he ever truly loved her, not like she loved him." She paused and smiled. "Not like he loves you."

"He doesn't love me."

"Don't you see the way he looks at you? You're his world, Miley. If you broke up with him tomorrow, I don't think he would ever recover from it. I guess that, in a way, you are both the best thing and the worst thing for him."

I looked away and stared at the photographs once again. Demi was right – to Nick, I may have been the best thing that could have happened, but in some ways, I was also the worst. It's not always a good thing to live your life loving somebody else so deeply and so intensely that nothing else even seems important anymore. I had known the feeling – when that someone walked into a room, your entire life lit up. When that person said your name, your heart pounded against your chest and your breathing picked up. When that individual touches you, you feel like your skin is about to burst into flames as your passion and your love for them ignites.

Yes, we meant a lot to each other, and maybe I had come into Nick's life at exactly the right time, but the things that he and I felt for one another were only ever destined to hurt us, because no one ever finds the one they're supposed to be with forever when they're in high school, and really, at that time, I wasn't quite sure that love even existed. I mean, my parents had loved each other a long time ago, and they truly believed that they would be together forever until my mom was dying her hair to stop it from going white and my dad was going to be bound to his bed. Look what happened to them: fighting over petty things that had never mattered within their marriage, banishing their child to Texas 'for her own good', hardly even speaking unless it came to me.

Nick's relationship with Selena had proved a lot of things to me – nothing worked out when it came to high school relationships, and when it came down to it, no matter how much he cared about somebody, it wasn't guaranteed that he would always feel that way.

* * *

**This story is going in a completely different direction from what I had originally planned. At the beginning, I didn't picture Nick and Miley actually getting together for real until some time around this point. The story has become less about the build-up and more about the problems they have, but hopefully you like that?**

**I hope you all had a great Christmas! I certainly did. I got a Kindle from my parents, so if any of you know any good books, please let me know! Happy New Year as well. Personally, I'm not a big fan of New Year's, but whatever floats your boat and all that.**

**If you haven't already, please check out Six Degrees of Separation, my new story which basically documents Nick and Miley's relationship through Demi's eyes. I'll be updating that within the next few days.**

**Thanks to 143gray, ijustneedyounow, MnM16, jonasluver4ever21, lifesaclimb11, Guest, mar, sd08d1997, JDBFavoriteGurl, IWantNiley3.0, xnickslightning, babygurl98, Simar, YouSaidForever (Can I just say that I love your icon right now? Haha), NickJisoffmychain2828 and MissQueenyB for your reviews!**


	23. Chapter 23

**We don't do Thanksgiving over here so I don't know if you make speeches or whatever. For the sake of the story, let's just say that you do.**

* * *

Denise stood up from her position at one end of the table and tapped her fork against her glass to get everyone's attention.

"If it's alright with everyone, I would just like to say a few words." She looked around at all of us with a warm and smiling face. "First of all, thank you, Tish, for coming down to spend the holidays with us all. Everybody appreciates you being here, especially Miley." She turned to look at me and cleared her throat. "Miley, as a family, we are so grateful that you have been with us these past couple of months. I think it's been great for everybody to get to know you a little bit better, and I'm glad that you have made my kids so happy. You're going to be a friend to them for the rest of their lives, I'm sure, and it means so much to Paul and I that the twins finally have this … this need to protect you. This year, I think that the one thing we are all most thankful for is God or fate or whatever else bringing you into our lives. You have changed all of us forever. None of us will be the same when you leave, because you've made a lot of things better for each and every member of this family."

I looked up at Denise and smiled weakly as she made her Thanksgiving speech. Her family had welcomed me into their home with open arms and embraced me as one of their own; it wasn't like she meant to do it, but her kind words only made making a decision between Texas and New York even harder.

Denise turned to my mom and smiled. "My beautiful children ... I am so proud of you all. Kevin, Joe, I'm glad that you have both settled and are happy at college. Frankie, baby, you have grown so much over the past few years, and I'm so proud of the little man you are becoming. And the twins ... I think that, out of everyone, you two have progressed the most. Nick, I am especially proud of you and how much you have worked to change your attitude, not only to women but to life in general. You truly are becoming the gentleman your father and I always wanted you to be." She paused and looked back at my mom. "Tish, back to you, I guess. Honey, you've been through a lot this year, and we are so proud of you for making it out the other end. Paul, the kids and myself all wish you the best of luck. We hope you find happiness in whatever direction life takes you."

My mom rose to her feet, hugged her tightly and murmured, "Thank you." Mom then turned to look at me and nodded her head. "Miley, honey, thank you for being so understanding through everything that happened with your father. I know how difficult it was for you to see us fighting like we were, but hopefully now that the divorce has been settled, everything will be back to normal between us." She looked around and raised her glass of wine. "What I am most thankful for this year is my beautiful daughter, Miley. Without her support and her sensitivity to everything that has happened, I don't think I would be as happy as I am right now. So everybody, please raise your glasses."

Nick looked over at me with concerned eyes and mouthed, "Are you alright?"

His question made me realise how miserable I must seem to everyone else around the table. My mom's speech made me miss my life in New York with her even more, but Denise's speech made it even clearer that my new life in Texas was just as good as my old one. I hadn't realised that Thanksgiving dinner would be some emotional love-fest. If I had, I never would have agreed to making my way to Colorado so we could all sit around the table and talk about the things we love most.

I nodded at him and raised my water to my lips. I needed to get out of there. It was all getting too much, but we hadn't even finished dinner and I couldn't just jump up and run away from Thanksgiving dinner. I was pretty sure that my mother would die of embarrassment.

Demi nudged me with her elbow and murmured, "You are quite popular this Thanksgiving, huh?" She smirked. "My mom meant it when she said that we're thankful for you coming into our lives, you know."

I nodded. "I know."

She sighed and leaned in closer to my ear so nobody else at the table could hear, keeping her voice low. "I just want you to understand that she isn't trying to influence your decision. She knows that your mom wants you to go back to New York at Christmas. She just wants you to know that, no matter what you decide, you have been a great thing for our family. You made everybody in the family realise exactly who we needed to get rid of in our lives. Selena was poison, in a way. She's my best friend and as much as I say that we're done and we'll never speak again after how she acted, we'll probably be back to how we were before by the time the holidays are over, but for Nick, she was definitely this toxic cloud in his life. They drained each other out, and you've been this kind of new energy for him."

I looked away. "I'm still undecided over whether to stay or go. I thought I had it all figured out. I was so sure that I was going to stay here with you guys and finish my senior year. I was going to decide on what's going to happen next year and where I'm going to go, but now my mom's here …"

"We understand. You have a family, and you had a life before us. But that doesn't mean that any of us want you to forget us."

"I couldn't forget this family if I tried."

Demi grinned. "Don't worry, kid. We could never forget you either."

* * *

I was standing out on the dock with my arms wrapped around myself, my coat bundled around me tightly and my teeth chattering in the chilly night. I looked at my phone to check the time yet again and sighed. Nick had told me to come out and meet him on the dock beside the cars at ten o'clock, but he was fifteen minutes late and I was getting tired of waiting.

"Sorry!"

I turned around and saw him jogging towards me with a blanket over his shoulder. He grinned at me apologetically and skidded to a halt beside me. He exhaled and closed his eyes.

"Damn, it really is cold out here, huh?"

"Never would have guessed, buddy." I sat down on the dock and looked up at him. "What are we doing out here anyway?"

He sat down beside me and spread the blanket across our legs. "Well, I was sitting in my room last night and looked out here. Then I remembered how, when we were kids, Demi, Joe, Kevin and I would come out here and just look at the stars. We didn't have to speak or anything. It was just something we liked to do together. I guess you could call it sibling bonding or something like that." He glanced at me and smiled softly. "We haven't really gotten much time alone since we got here, and I think that we need to talk."

"About what?"

"You know what we need to talk about, Miley," he said quietly. He hesitated and sighed. "New York."

I gulped and looked away. "Can we please not talk about that right now? I haven't made my decision yet."

"I know you haven't, and that's why I think we need to talk about it." He put his arm around me and pulled me into his side. "I've spent so much time trying to convince you to do what's right for you and your parents that I've completely pushed away what I want. As selfish as it sounds, I think that what I want in this situation matters too, and what I want you is to have you here with me."

"But you said –"

"I know what I said, okay? But this is a conversation that we need to have, Miley. So, while we're out here, I thought that we could discuss all the reasons why you should stay in Texas rather than all the reasons why you should leave."

"And those are?"

"Number one: me. What would I do without you? I'd have no one to keep me company in the back of my truck!" he teased. "Besides, you and I haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet." He nudged me playfully and chuckled when I slapped his arm. "Number two is Demi. You've been a better friend to her than Selena ever has, and as much as she says that she wants you to be happy, I know my sister, and if you left, it would crush her. I know that, when you first got here, she didn't expect to connect with you on the kind of level that you have, but now you're her best friend, and I don't think she would be able to cope if you left."

"You're so melodramatic," I said, trying to cover up my real thoughts.

I looked away. Demi and Nick always had been and always would be my main reason for staying in Texas. Even when I was convinced that Nick was nothing but an arrogant, football-playing ass, there was something there between us, and I had always been sure that I couldn't leave for New York before finding out whether the spark was in my head or whether it was real. And as for Demi, she had been amazing. She had supported me through everything with Nick and Selena, even though she really should have sided with the girl she had been best friends with for year. She had been my rock when Lilly, the person who was supposed to be there for me (as she had always promised) without questions or criticisms, had not. The twins had made my life bearable when the only thing I wanted was to go home, and I would always be grateful to them for that.

"The third thing is my mom. You're like a second daughter to her now, and I think that if would crush her just as much as it would Demi if you left before senior year was over."

"Is there anything else?" I asked, a smile on my face.

"There's Frankie. He looks up to you so much. To be honest, the little guy has a crush on you. If you left him, I don't think he'd ever recover. You've scarred him, princess."

"I guess you and Frank would have to have an ice cream and junk food pity party together if I left then, huh?"

Nick chuckled. "Another thing is Selena. I know that she's done some pretty horrible things to you, and I don't think that I'll ever forgive her for how she's behaved lately, but I know you, Miley. You're the kind of person who needs to make things right with everybody, and I know that you'll kick yourself for a long time if you don't fix things with her. I understand how guilty you feel over how things happened with us, but I also understand how she works. She's going to take some time to heal, and I don't think you'll forgive yourself until she's recovered and is ready to forgive us. I know that you feel some kind of need to explain yourself to her. Personally, I don't get it, but I know that you do, and you owe it to yourself to give yourself that time."

I looked away. He was right. I had considered Selena a friend before things with Nick had snowballed into something completely different, whether she annoyed me or not. Sure, she was an obnoxious cheerleader sometimes who never seemed to think past high school, but she had still welcomed me to Texas like Demi, Nick and their family had. I owed it to her and to myself to make things right.

"Got anything else for me?"

"I guess this takes me back to you and me," he said quietly. "We've only just started. You can't just leave before we get a real chance. I've spent so long trying to pluck up the courage to be with you. I don't think I could cope if you left so soon."

I bit my lip. "Why don't you come to college in New York?"

He looked away awkwardly. "I can't do that, Miley. There are other schools that are willing to offer me a scholarship, and none of them are in New York. And besides, that means that we have to keep a long distance thing going from Christmas to summer. Do you really think you could deal with the pressure of that?"

"Don't you think we could make it through?"

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just that you tried the whole long-distance thing with Liam and that turned to crap. I think that we're worth more than that. What you and I have … I may have said that it's only a bit of fun for senior year, but it's special, Miley. I think we deserve more than some Skype calls and scattered twenty-four hour visits."

I sighed. "You know that I want to stay here."

"I'm not quite sure that I do know that. I know that you miss your life in New York a lot more than you let on."

He was right – I had missed my life in New York more than anything at one point. I had grown up there. I had friends there. I had my family and I had once had a boyfriend. But now there was just as much for me in Dallas as there was in New York, and I don't think that anybody but me had understood that. Of course I was going to miss where I came from. It was instinct to miss home, and I wasn't going to let them know when I was having a bad day in which all I wanted was to go home.

"You're right," I said softly. "I do miss it more than I let on. But it's my hometown, Nick, and none of that makes my life in Texas with you any less important than my life in New York. Whatever happens, the people I care about in each of the states are still important to me, no matter what I decide."

Nick took my hand and lifted it to his lips. "I'm not trying to pressurise you into staying here, you know."

"I know you aren't."

"It's just difficult. I want you to stay here, but I want you to be happy. If New York is going to make you happy then you should be there. Sure, we'll be bummed, but all of us only want what's best for you."

I stood up from the dock and smiled down at him. "I promise that, when I do decide what I want to do, you'll be the first to know what I choose."

"Even before your mom?"

"Even before my mom."

He paused. "Wow, Miles, that's a pretty big step. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that kind of commitment. I mean, telling me before you tell your mom is a big deal." He looked up and grinned to indicate that he was joking.

"Shut up before I shove you into the lake, moron."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him again. "I would just drag you in with me," he murmured, playing with my fingers.

"Take me anywhere near that water and I will castrate you."

"Geez, no need to get violent." Nick stood up and grabbed the blanket. "Let's get back inside. Hey, I might even walk you to your door."

We slowly started to walk back towards the steps to the front door. Halfway there, he noticed me shivering and draped the blanket across my shoulders, muttering about it being completely against the morals of a Southern gentleman to let a young lady catch hypothermia.

"You've been kind of off today," he commented.

"I've been thinking a lot."

"About what?"

"Everything, I guess."

"That's deep, babe," he teased. When I said nothing, he realised I was being serious. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and pulled my hand to prevent me from going any further. "What's going on?"

I hesitated, then said, "I guess it's just the whole Selena thing. I know that you were finished with her, and I know that you and Demi both think that she's this venomous dark patch in your lives right now, but I saw the photographs in Demi's room. I saw how happy the three of you were before I came to town, and it got me thinking. High school doesn't last forever, and neither do the friendships you make. Once we graduate, everything changes."

"But it doesn't have to. _We_ don't have to."

"Yes, it does. You'll be going wherever your scholarship takes you. Demi wants to get as far away from Texas as she possibly can. And me? I don't know what I want to do or where I want to go."

"That doesn't mean that Demi and you won't be friends anymore. It doesn't mean that we can't still be together."

"I have watched you and Demi just cut yourselves off from Selena over something that she couldn't even control, and that kills me. It has showed me that people don't feel the same way forever. I mean, look at you! You used to be in love with her. Don't even try and tell me that it wasn't love. You don't spend that amount of time with someone if you don't feel even the tiniest ounce of love for them."

I had never planned to tell Nick everything I had been thinking that first evening in Colorado when I walked into the bedroom and saw all of Demi's memories. Demi had since taken down the photographs, and in a way, that made things even worse. It proved that, even though she assured me that she and Selena would be back to normal soon, things would never be the same for them, because Selena would always value their friendship over Demi's relationship with Nick, while Demi would always value her brother over her friendship with Selena.

Nick stood on the first step. "You need to stop thinking about Selena. I know that I said that you'll regret it if you don't fix things with her, but like I said, she needs to cool down first. While we wait for that to happen, you need to stop feeling sorry for her, and you need to get this ridiculous notion that the friendships you have made in Texas are just going to disappear when you leave out of your head."

"Nick –"

"I mean it, Miley. You know that Demi and I will be here for you whenever you need us. You heard my mom at dinner – you're going to be our friend for the rest of our lives, whether that means that you and I are together or just friends."

I watched him as he walked up the stairs ahead of me, his grip on my hand still tight and supportive. I knew that I had to stop overthinking every little thing, and I knew that I needed to make a definite decision on what I wanted. Obviously I was pretty sure about what I wanted at that point. The only problem was figuring out how and when to break the news to everyone else.

* * *

**There is one more chapter left, plus an epilogue. I'm kind of sad to see this story end, but at the same time, it's kind of a relief, because this really isn't the way I pictured A Thousand Miles From Home turning out. Please, though, continue to check out Six Degrees of Separation. Once this is finished (hopefully by the end of next week but no promises), I will be focusing the little energy I have after school and friends and family on that, and I really do love the idea, so it would mean a lot if you all went and checked that out.**

**Thanks to .Awesome, niley4eva2012, Guest, MnM16, lindaluuu (Thanks for staying up that late, haha!), Sophie, Simar, IWantNiley3.0, JDBFavoriteGurl, lifesaclimb11, xnickslightning (Don't worry, I understood, haha), MissQueenyB, jonasluver4ever21, YouSaidForever (Aw, thank you so much! That is genuinely one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me) and babygurl98 as always for your reviews! I appreciate all of them so much.**


	24. Chapter 24

The Thanksgiving holiday had given me a lot of time. I would be lying if I said I was sad to see my mom go. Sure, we had bonded a little while she was visiting, but with her gone, telling everybody else what I had decided would be so much easier.

I had finally made my decision on where I wanted to be. I had spent a lot of time weighing up the pros and cons of my separate lives in the two places, but after a long while, I finally had worked out which option would be better for everybody. I had been thinking long and hard about how to break the news to everyone, but I just couldn't think of a way to make it easier.

We had been back from Colorado for thirty-six hours when there was a knock at the door of the pool house, and Selena walked in.

Demi looked up at her. "Sel, now really isn't a good time."

"I'm not here to talk to you, Demi. I'm here to speak to Miley." Selena looked at me with raised eyebrows. "You at least owe me that, don't you?"

I nodded and rose to my feet. "I guess I do. Come into my room." I glanced over at Demi. "This won't take long," I assured her, noticing the worried expression on her face.

Selena followed me into the bedroom and closed the door behind me. "This used to be my room, you know," she said quietly. "When my mom first married my step-dad and I wasn't really into pretending that we were this little happy suburban family, Demi's parents would let me spend the night here. This was my room." She smiled sadly and sat down on the bed. "I guess that's another thing I lost to you."

"If this is about Nick –"

"It isn't just about him," she interrupted. "I've been resenting you for a lot of things, and I think that it's about time that we set things straight."

I watched her carefully, waiting for her to continue. I could tell by the look on her face that this – coming here and talking to me – was difficult for her. I had, after all, done a lot of things to hurt her.

"When I first got together with Nick, I imagined myself being with him forever. It wasn't just some high school fling for me. It was the real thing," she began. "Even though he treated me badly and we fought a lot, I still loved him more than anything else in this world, and I pictured us being together long after high school ended. Then, of course, you came to town and everything else changed."

"Selena –"

"You know, the first time I saw Nick and you together, I knew that there was something between you. Maybe it was the way he looked at you, or maybe it was because you didn't just take his crap like I did, but I could see that he saw you differently. He admired you. It drove me crazy. I watched how things played out between you and him, and yet I did nothing. I saw how things were between you and instead of confronting him about it, I drove him away. I got clingy and jealous and –"

"None of what happened was your fault. It was ours."

"I haven't forgiven you," Selena snapped. "What you did was a pretty nasty thing to do. I told you a lot about how I felt about Nick, and you said nothing. You stood there and let me look like a fool rather than acting like an adult and coming clean about what you were doing." She sighed and looked at the ceiling, trying to hold back tears. "And then there's Demi. She's the closest thing that I have to a sister, and I screwed everything up with her as well, and for what? You? Nick? I guess that I have no one but myself to blame for what happened with her. I saw how close she was with you, and it all just kind of spiralled out of control like it did with Nick. I drove her away with all my scheming to find out who it was that Nick was dating. In the end, I suppose that it was the thing that had brought Demi and I closer together that tore us apart."

"Nick didn't keep you together. Your friendship was stronger than that. He was something you had in common, but he didn't bind you together. Demi loved you like you were her sister, Selena. It was hard for her to decide what to do."

"And that's why you'll always be better for them than I will," Selena answered sadly. "You get it with them. They may act like they hate each other, but they're each other's best friends, and you understand that. I expected them both to put me first when they were always going to pick each other over me. They value family over me, and I don't blame them."

"It isn't like that."

"It is. Like I said, I don't blame them."

I sat down at the desk and looked down at my hands. "I never blamed you for how you acted when you found out," I admitted. "If it had been me, I would have done the same thing. You didn't deserve to be kept in the dark for so long. Maybe Nick and Demi didn't agree that the things you were doing were justified, but I genuinely believed that I deserved everything I got."

Selena shook her head. "No, the twins are right. You didn't deserve it."

We sat in silence for a few moments, thinking about everything we had said to each other. I had forgiven Selena for all the wrong she had done before she had even done it, because it had been my fault in the first place. I let her think that she still had a chance with Nick when he had already moved on. I had been given a million and one chances to tell Selena the truth, but I had kept it a secret. Thanks to me, she had lost the best friend she had ever had, and she no longer had the boy she loved more than anything. Her life had been like some kind of suburban fairytale before I arrived in town, and because of me, it had all crumbled down around her.

She rose to her feet again and dusted off the invisible bits of fluff on her jeans. "I came here to say that you didn't deserve to be treated the way I treated you. I may not have forgiven you for what you did, but by behaving how I did, I brought myself down to this place I didn't want to be in. I turned into someone I never imagined I could be. I only have myself to blame for everything that has happened lately." She made her way to the door. "Goodbye, Miley."

"Wait."

Selena turned with raised eyebrows. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I've taken everything from you, haven't I?"

She shook her head and looked away. "I lost it all long before you arrived, Miley. Things were bad before you came. It just took you for everyone to realise that we were all living a lie." She exhaled deeply and closed her eyes. "Just so you know, I give you my blessing. You don't really need it, but I see how happy Nick is with you, and I want him to be happy, even if it isn't with me. If he had smiled at me once the way he smiles at you every single day … Well, maybe Nick and I would still be together."

I finally got it. Maybe Selena and I would never be friends, but we had an understanding. She understood that nobody had ever intended to hurt her, and I finally understood that maybe I didn't deserve everything she had done to me.

"Do you want me to leave town?"

She looked at me like I was crazy. "Something like that isn't exactly my decision, is it? If I say I want you to leave, I look like the jealous ex-girlfriend. But I can't really ask you to stay, can I? Because we all know that I still have feelings for Nick and that it's going to kill me to watch you together."

"I guess I thought that knowing what you wanted would help me in some way."

"Why? Are you considering leaving?"

I nodded. "Apparently the divorce has been settled. My mom wants me to go back at Christmas. I mean, I've already made my choice. I just don't know how to tell everyone what I want."

Selena hesitated as she stood at the door. "I know that you and I haven't been the best of friends lately, but as long as you're honest with the people you care about, nothing can go wrong." She sighed and shook her head. "I'm not going to ask you what you chose, because that's not my place. I just want you to promise that you've made the right decision, because if it isn't, then everything that's happened between us and Nick and Demi will have been a waste."

I watched her as she left the room, closing the door gently behind her. She was right – if I couldn't put my hand on my heart and say that I had made the decision that was best for everyone, then everything that had happened would have been such a waste of time and tears.

* * *

I stepped into the backyard later that day and looked around. Nick was sitting at the edge of the pool with his feet dangling in, laughing as Frankie continued to miss the basketball hoop nailed to the back of the garage. Demi was lying on a sun lounger, her hair spread out over the back and her legs stretched out to soak up the rays.

"Miley!" Nick called when he noticed me. He patted the spot beside him and smiled. "Come and sit with me."

I walked over to him and dipped my feet in, just like he was doing. I could tell that he was dying to ask what had happened with Selena and how my decision was coming along, but as I weighed up the options, I decided that a conversation like that was better in private.

Frankie dropped his ball and grinned when he saw Nick and I sitting side-by-side. "INCOMING!" he screamed. He ran across the yard, pulling his shirt over his head as he approached, and it happened so quickly that I had no time to jump out of the way before Frankie cannon-balled into the pool, drenching me in water from head to toe.

Nick burst out laughing at my shocked expression. "Hey, Frank? You might want to run," he managed to get out.

Frankie smirked as he moved his arms and legs to keep himself afloat. "She can't hurt a kid," he teased, knowing that I wouldn't lay a finger on him. He climbed the ladder out of the pool and went inside. "I'm going to get a towel."

As Demi, Nick and I continued to laugh, I couldn't help but think that, whether I left at Christmas or during the summer, it was still going to hurt. The twins had become more than just a friend and a boyfriend. They had become like family to me, and when you get on with your family as well as I got on with them, it kills you to walk away from them.

"We need to talk," I blurted out.

I had promised Nick that he would be the first to find out about my decision, but they both meant so much to be that I knew that they deserved to find out at the same time.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you made your mind up?"

"Are you alright?"

They both fired questions at me, and I just couldn't cope with it. I got to my feet and began to pace behind Nick, my tongue brushing my lips as I thought carefully about how to phrase what I was about to tell them.

"My decision wasn't just about you, and it wasn't just about my parents. There were so many other things that I had to consider and …" I trailed off and buried my face in my hands. "I don't want to keep anybody hanging on for any longer than I already have, okay? You all deserve to know what's going to happen."

"And?" Demi looked at me with hopeful eyes.

I inhaled deeply. "For now ... I'm going to stay here."

Nick punched the air happily, a broad smile plastered across his face. He stood up and hugged me tightly. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," he whispered.

Demi frowned slightly. "What do you mean 'for now'?" she asked.

"I think that it's important for everybody to remember that, after Christmas, there's still a long time before the year ends. I have decided that, at some point in the New Year, I'll review my decision. Also, I'm going to visit my family in New York at Christmas. I don't want to decide something that's going to define the rest of the year in such a short space of time, but I didn't want to leave anybody waiting any longer, so I figured that this was the best solution."

"So you might still go back to New York?"

"Yes."

"But –"

"Demi," Nick growled. "She's made her decision, okay? Stop pushing her."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Don't get your hopes up, Nick! You're acting like Miley has decided to stay here forever, but you know as well as I do that she has to leave at some point."

"Demi, that's enough."

Demi walked over to the main house. "All I'm saying is that I don't think that you've accepted that she has to leave at some point. I accepted it the second that she told me her mom wanted her to go home, but you? I don't even know if you're aware that her life consists of more than just you and me."

"Demi –"

She smiled weakly at him. "For the record, I'm glad that you're staying, Mi. Even if it's just for now," she said. "I'll see you guys later." She stepped inside, closing the door gently behind her. Even when she was annoyed at Nick, she still managed to act like a lady instead of screaming and slamming doors. It was one of the things I admired most about her.

"I'm sorry."

"She has a point," I admitted. "I'm not going to be here forever, Nick."

"But you're here now. Isn't that the important part?"

We made our way into the pool house. I walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, tossing another one to him to dry ourselves off after Frankie's jump into the pool. We rubbed ourselves down in silence, neither of us quite sure what to say.

"I have to leave some time," I said quietly.

Nick took a step closer to me and grabbed my hands. "I'm fine with that, okay? I just don't see why we have to worry about that yet. You've decided to stay for now, and that's all I could ask for. Demi just … She doesn't think that I get it, but I do. I'll be fine with you leaving whenever you think the timing is right. I just didn't think that now was the right time for you to go."

I smiled and rested my hands on his shoulders. "You're really sweet, you know that?"

"I've been told," he replied with a smirk.

I beamed at him. This boy was the one who had changed everything in my life. I should have been heartbroken that things with Liam and me had fallen apart when Nick came into the picture, but I hadn't been, and he should have been a lot more damaged after his break-up with Selena, but he wasn't. I had found exactly the right person at exactly the right time.

"Hey, what were you and Selena talking about earlier?"

I hesitated. I had known that the question was coming, but it still caught me off-guard. "She's sorry for everything she did. She hasn't forgiven us yet, but I think that she's starting to understand it." I smiled as he started planting kisses on my skin and slowly began to nibble my earlobe. "She gave us her blessing."

"I don't care if I have her blessing or not," he whispered, pulling me closer.

"I didn't think that you would." I gasped as he lifted me up onto the counter. I was getting déjà-vu. We had been this way before, and I distinctly remembered enjoying myself a lot the last time.

"Miley?" he murmured into my ear.

"Mm?"

He pulled back from my ear and leaned his forehead against mine. He bit his lip as he stared intensely into my eyes. "I need to tell you something," he breathed. He hesitated then continued. "I know that I've been saying that we're young and this is only a bit of fun, but what I'm feeling … it's different, Mi. I haven't felt like this with anybody else, and I think that it's time I tell you that ... that I love you, Miley. Maybe this isn't the time to talk about this or try to overanalyse it all, but I thought that we should –"

I kissed him. I don't know whether it was because I wanted to stop him from digging himself a hole or because I was feeling such an extraordinary rush of love for him that I needed to show him, but for whatever reason, I kissed him and it was completely and utterly magical.

I pulled back from the kiss and rested my hand on his cheek gently. "It's different for me too," I promised him.

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do!" I paused and smiled at him, mentally preparing myself for the words that were about to come out of my mouth. "And I love you too."

We sat that way for a long time, simply staring at each other with goofy smiles on our faces and a twinkle in our eyes. Maybe everybody had been right when they said that the way he looked at me was different to the way he looked at anybody else. He made me feel so special and so beautiful that they had obviously had a point when they said he was falling in love with me. My heart was pounding so hard in that moment that it was impossible to define my feelings as anything but passionate, overpowering, wholehearted love for him and everything that he had made me feel.

Granted, maybe Nick and I wouldn't be together ten years down the line, but he had made me feel that intimacy and adoration that every single girl dreamed of having.

People say that everybody has one epic love in their lifetime. It was possible that you wouldn't end up with your one epic love and that things may turn sour, but as I stared at Nick in that little bathroom in the pool house, I was sure that he was mine and I was his, because nothing else in this world could even compare to the love and devotion he invoked. He was perfect, and maybe I was far from home, but he had made everything better when I had been sure that my entire life was falling apart.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

"For what?"

"For being here."

Nick smiled and stroked my cheek with his thumb. "I wouldn't have had it any other way."

We hadn't had sex yet, and we had only just said that we loved each other, but it still was different, because I could tell that when the time came and we actually had sex with one another, it wouldn't just be sex like it was with other people. As much as I hated the term, what we had could only be described as 'making love'. There was no other term to use, because I knew that, when you felt differently about somebody, _everything_ felt different, whether it was sex or kissing or even just hugging.

I pushed my future decisions aside as we stared at each other. My choices when the New Year came didn't matter anymore, not as long as I was safe in the knowledge that, whether I was at home in New York or there in Texas, I was never going to be far from home. As cheesy as it sounds, home is where your heart is, and your heart is wherever your loved ones are. Sure, my heart was divided between the suburbs and the city, but I was sure that I could never be unhappy in either of the cities, because I would still have the ones I cared about.

"When college comes –" Nick began.

"Let's not talk about that now."

"Miley –"

"Let's just cherish this moment, okay?"

So that's what we did. We cherished the moment as we held each other, each of us thinking about exactly the same thing: how my move to Dallas had seemed like such a nightmare in the beginning, but eventually worked out to be the best thing I could have imagined.

* * *

**So that's pretty much it. I'll be posting an epilogue soon, and then I'm going to start working on a new story. I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head about what I'm going to do next, so I need to sit down and work everything out, but I'm excited to hear what you all think when I do get started on that. It probably will be a little while before that gets posted though. I've been back at school for a week and it is already kicking my butt. **

**I won't lie by saying that I'm proud of how this ended, because I'm not. As I've said so many times before, I imagined it working out so differently, but whatever. I'm never really happy with how my stories end up. I am kind of happy with how the Selena thing worked out though. I really felt like she and Miley needed to have that conversation.**

**Thanks to niley4eva2012, Melodieswhen, ijustneedyounow, JDBFavoriteGurl, babygurl98, YouSaidForever (I mustered up an 'I love you'!), lindaluuu, sd08d1997, Fatimaaaa (Aw, thank you so much! That literally means so much to me. And I'm from the UK), IWantNiley3.0, jonasluver4ever21, MnM16 (Thanks so much! That is so nice of you), NickJisoffmychain2828, xnickslightning and MissQueenyB. I would particularly like to thank the people who have reviewed every chapter. There are no words to describe how amazing it feels to have people who love the story so much that they spend time every time I update to tell me what they think.**


	25. Epilogue

_**Four and a half years later**_

I stand on my favourite bridge in Central Park and wait impatiently. I glance at my watch, feeling like one of those high-strung businessmen on TV who don't even have time for their kids, let alone the kind of relationship I'm hoping to enter. I feel jittery and nervous, petrified that nothing will work out the way we wanted it to.

Four years of college have been leading up to this one moment; it all defines my future.

"Miley."

I spin around, grinning. He came. He promised four years ago that he would, but I wasn't sure if he would remember or if he even wanted to be with me anymore.

"Nick," I breathe.

I think back to the pact we made four years ago. Senior year had ended. I never did return to New York during that school year. We were going to different colleges across the country – he was moving to the East Coast and I had been accepted to Stanford. It had all seemed kind of ironic that he was going to be closer to New York than I was, while I was going to school across the country. I had tried to end it, but it was too difficult. At the same time, a long-distance relationship, which we had tried for the first semester, wasn't working either. So we made a pact. He promised that when college ended and I went home to New York, if we still wanted to be together, he would meet me at Bow Bridge in Central Park.

He takes a step forward, his hands shoved nervously into his coat pockets, and smiles awkwardly at me. "I was worried that you wouldn't come."

"Me too," I whisper, moving hesitantly closer to him.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

We don't need to say anything else. He walks right up to me and quickly embraces me into a tight hug, lifting me off my feet.

The years I had spent declining invitations for dinner and saying that I was hung up on someone else were finally adding up to this one moment in which I am reunited with Nick. Perhaps it was ridiculous of me to have spent so long pining over this one person, but he is worth it all.

The boy has become a man and the drama is over. Everything that had happened between when I had left New York and my return had not been a waste. If anything, they made our reunion even better.

I remember thinking all those years that not everybody ends up with their one epic love, but I'm starting to think that maybe I will.


End file.
